C28
by RadioShack84
Summary: COMPLETE. The crew encounters a merchant who offers to sell them a substance that counteracts the toxicity of trelliumD, but the sale goes awry when the merchant has other plans for Commander Tucker.
1. Seven Minute Meeting

Disclaimer: All characters that you've seen in the show belong to Paramount. I am only borrowing them and am not making money off of them in any way.  
  
Rating: PG-13 to R  
  
Category: Sci-Fi/ Action/Adventure  
  
Title: C-28  
  
Author's Note: This is my first Enterprise story. Please let me know what you think, but please don't rip it to shreds either if it is not to your taste.  
  
Archive: Please ask me first.  
  
Summary: The crew encounters a merchant that offers to sell them a substance that will counteract the toxicity of trellium-D, but the sale goes awry when the merchant has other plans for Commander Tucker.  
  
"Archer to Commander Tucker." Trip's comm. Panel sounded for the third time. Rolling over sleepily, Trip got up and made his way through his quarters, fumbling for the correct button in the dark. "Tucker here. Mind tellin' me what this early wake-up call's about Cap'n?" Trip glanced at his chronometer, which read 0247 hours. "I intend to when you get to the bridge. I'll expect you in ten minutes. Archer out." "So much for those eight hours I was hoping for," the engineer grumbled to himself as he pulled on his uniform.  
  
++++++++++  
  
When the turbolift doors slid open, Trip was greeted by the captain, T'Pol, and Lt. Reed. The rest of the bridge was occupied by the usual graveyard shift. "Sorry to wake you, Trip, but I thought you'd be interested to hear about what our visitor had to say." Archer smiled, gesturing to the viewscreen which displayed the starfield racing by as well as the back end of a ship that Tucker didn't recognize.  
"Little late for a bedtime story don't you think, sir?"  
"Well, I don't know about that, but I have a feeling you may be too excited to sleep after you hear this." Again Archer smiled, and that captured Trip's interest even more than the odd-looking ship they were apparently following. Ever since they'd entered the Delphic Expanse months ago to begin their search for the Xindi, Archer's mood had been dark an brooding. Trip couldn't say his own mood was much better as he'd been trying to deal with the loss of his sister, but it was still good to see his friend smile again.  
"So what's the story? Does this person know where we can find the Xindi weapon?"  
"Unfortunately not, Commander. His information, however, may prove beneficial to that end," T'Pol said in her characteristic emotionless tone.  
"Mr. Byx runs a trading business in this area of the Expanse. He claims to know of a place where we can obtain a material that will shield us, especially T'Pol, from the side affects of trellium-D. He also claims that this material strengthens its effectiveness of the hull protection trellium provides."  
"Sounds too good to be true, Cap'n. What's the catch?"  
"That's what we're going to find out," Archer said. "Mr. Byx has agreed to arrange a meeting for us with his contact. He would like five steel pylons in return for his efforts."  
"I take it that's why I'm here," said Trip.  
Archer nodded. "That's not the only reason, however. Byx gave us the chemical formula for the compound, after some coaxing." He and Reed glanced at each other. Reed looked faintly amused as the captain continued. "I would like you and T'Pol to begin analyzing it..."  
"For any instability or problems we may run into later that aren't readily apparent," Trip finished.  
"Exactly what I was going to suggest," Archer grinned. Trip responded with a smile of his own, which grew as he noticed T'Pol's raised eyebrow. He may not be able to keep up with her so-called logic when it came to such things as first contact missions, but he could definitely hold his own when it came to matters of engineering.  
"Because I was going to say, Cap'n, that if you woke me up to detach five pylons—a thing I could easily have done in the morning...well, later in the morning—then I resign."  
"Well, I didn't, so get to work. I need the pylons by 0400, and the briefing for the away mission is at 0500. Mr. Byx promises me he'll have an appointment set up for us by then."  
"Aye, Cap'n. T'Pol, shall we?" Trip asked, waving a hand toward the turbolift.  
T'Pol glanced at Archer for approval, and he did his best to give her a serious nod, even though a hint of a smile was still visible on his face. The Vulcan science officer stepped away from her station and followed Trip to the turbolift.  
  
++++++++++  
  
0500 hours came in what seemed to Trip like five minutes after he'd left the bridge. The pylons had been delivered to the alien trader on schedule and he and T'Pol had become quite absorbed in their analysis of the proposed compound's formula. When the chronometer had sounded, reminding them of the briefing, Trip found his eyes were tired from focusing on the screen holding the information about the compound. The engineer came out of his reverie as he heard Archer begin the meeting.  
"Thank you all for being here at such an early hour. Some earlier than others," Archer added, glancing at Reed, T'Pol, and Trip. Hoshi, Mayweather, and Dr. Phlox were also present in the room. "I don't know what rumors you've heard, but we have recently encountered an alien named Byx who claims he can direct us to a person who is willing to sell us a compound that will block the toxic effects trellium-D has on T'Pol."  
At this bit of information, Phlox perked up, obviously intrigued.  
"We are to meet with a person named Solead at these coordinates on Veda II." Archer tapped a button, and a blinking dot appeared on the southern continent of the planet Enterprise was orbiting. They had arrived at the planet half an hour ago and had been instructed by Byx to wait until fifteen minutes before the appointed meeting to go to the surface. "He has been informed of our presence, and wishes to meet with us from 0630 hours to 0637 hours today."  
"A seven-minute meeting? Don't you find that a bit peculiar?" Malcolm Reed asked, in his usual slightly suspicious tone.  
"Many cultures operate on a very structured time schedule, Lieutenant. It is also possible that he is simply a very busy person," said T'Pol.  
Malcolm didn't seem convinced, but Archer didn't elaborate further, so the armory officer decided to drop the subject.  
"During that meeting, we need to be prepared to ask the necessary questions, as well as be ready with items we can barter. I do not believe it will be easy to arrange another meeting with this individual, so we must be sure to seal the deal this time around. That is, of course, if this compound even looks like it has the potential to do with Mr. Byx claims." Archer looked to Trip and T'Pol.  
Appealing to T'Pol's sometimes-touchy temper, Trip allowed her to begin stating their findings. "Although we cannot say with complete certainty before performing tests on the compound itself, there is a good probability that it will block the neurotoxin effects of trellium-D. However, it is quite unstable when in its solid state. We will need to proceed with caution in any case."  
"What about danger of exposure to the compound itself?" Archer asked.  
"There's no evidence of side effects, Cap'n, but then again, that doesn't seem to mean a whole lot around here. The doc could give you a better answer than I can."  
Archer nodded. "Give your notes to the doctor so he can look them over before we head down to the planet. We'll operate on the assumption that the compound poses no risk unless the doctor tells us otherwise, though."  
Trip tapped a couple buttons and handed his padd to Phlox in response.  
"Lieutenant Reed and Commander Tucker will accompany me to the surface. T'Pol, I believe it would be safer if you remained here for the time being, as we don't know whether the place we are going contains unshielded trellium-D."  
"A logical suggestion," T'Pol agreed. "I will set up equipment in the lab while you are away. I twill speed our analysis of the compound when you return."  
Archer nodded. "Hoshi can assist you. Travis," the captain turned to address the young navigation officer, "I want you to keep a course laid in to take Enterprise out of here quickly should any trouble arise. We don't know these people, and I'm inclined not to trust them just yet."  
"A wise choice, sir. Mr. Byx may not be telling us the whole truth about this meeting," commented Reed.  
Archer acknowledged Reed's statement with a nod. "If there are no other problems, then I suggest we all go prepare. Malcolm, Trip, we're leaving the shuttlebay at 0615 hours. Gather what you need and I'll meet you there. Dismissed."  
  
++++++++++  
  
Archer, Trip, and Reed arrived at the coordinates they'd been given five minutes before the meeting was to take place. They'd landed the shuttlepod a short distance away in a relatively open spot. The coordinates, to say the very least, were secluded, and led Malcolm to insist on landing in a place where they could minimize takeoff time later if the situation warranted a quick getaway.  
Tall trees surrounded their position on three sides, with the side of a tall, dome-like structure on the other. And it was cold. Trip saw his breath rise in clouds toward the sky, and it was snowing lightly where the trees didn't provide cover. He was from the south and used to warm weather, and his field jacket wasn't doing much to keep out the cold. "I sure hope this Solead is on time," he commented quietly to whoever was listening.  
Just then, Trip felt a tap on his shoulder. It took him half a second to realize that neither Archer nor Reed was close enough to have touched him. Slowly, Trip took a step forward to give himself distance from whomever or whatever was touching him. His hand going to his phase pistol, just in case, he quickly spun around and found the point of a sword bare millimeters from his chest.  
"Who are you?" the swordsman rasped in a dry voice that contained a clipped accent similar and yet altogether different from Malcolm's. Hoshi could have told him the similarities and differences in detail he was sure, but Trip decided he might just get filleted before she had the chance if he didn't supply the man with an answer.  
"I'm Commander Charles Tucker from the Starfleet ship Enterprise. We have arrangements to meet someone at this location."  
The man gave Trip something similar to a glare and also a grin, which the engineer could only describe as creepy. Then he rasped, "Collect your companions and follow me." The sword was lowered and the stranger now used it as a walking stick.  
"Cap'n, Malcolm, over here," Trip called, and momentarily they were all following the swordsman into the dome-shaped building.  
"Who is he?" Archer asked Trip as their walk grew longer and longer. It seemed as though they were going in circles, but the captain assumed that was because the main corridors paralleled the outer walls and were connected to the inner corridors of the building by narrow passageways.  
"He didn't say. Just tapped me on the shoulder with that sword of his and asked what I was doin' here." Trip spoke quietly, even though they'd fallen back somewhat from the stranger, and the man seemed to be paying them no attention whatsoever.  
"What did you tell him?"  
"I told him we were to meet someone here, and that's when he told me to follow him. I'm gettin' a real creepy vibe from him, Cap'n."  
"Well, just be careful. If that vibe is warranted, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."  
"That's just what I'm afraid of," Malcolm said. He'd been silently observing their conversation.  
Archer smiled at his armory officer's comment. They had stopped moving, and the swordsman was busily punching keys on what Archer assumed was a locking mechanism. Nearly half a minute later, the door in front of them slid open, and the man led them inside.  
With the flick of a switch, bright lights came on and bathed the room in a harsh white glow. When their eyes adjusted, the Enterprise crewmembers noticed for the first time the differences in the man's facial features from their own. He was definitely alien, with a ridge where his eyebrows would have been, and also one down his chin. His skin held a bluish cast, in this light anyway, and he seemed to have only three fingers on each hand. This, of course, could not be known for certain because of the gloves covering them.  
Archer could definitely identify similarities in appearance between this person and Mr. Byx, but he could not be sure they were the same species. Look at the Xindi, for heaven's sake.  
"I am Solead. My people are the Draden," the alien said, as if aware of what Archer was thinking.  
"I'm Captain Jonathan Archer of the starship Enterprise. This is Lt. Reed, my armory officer, and you've met Commander Tucker, my chief engineer."  
"You are all Humans."  
At Trip's look of surprise, Solead added, "Some news travels quite fast in the Expanse."  
"Apparently."  
"So you are interested in the Compound-28 Nexus?"  
"Yes. Trellium-D is toxic to one of my crewmembers and we are interested also in more effective shielding."  
"C-28 remedies both, as I think you shall soon see," Solead rasped. "The Draden experience ill effects from trellium as well." C-28 disperses toxicity, and in the process, stabilizes and strengthens the molecular structure of trellium-D. It is quite inexpensive to replicate." He went to a panel and tapped a few buttons. "What you see here is a diagram of C- 28's molecular structure, as well as a description of how it bonds to trellium-D."  
Archer stepped closer to the screen and read through the description, finding that it supported the information from Byx, but didn't do much else.  
"Are you interested in making a purchase?"  
Archer glanced at Trip, who had also been reading Solead's information. Trip fought the instinct to shudder as he again saw that glowering grin on the on the Draden's face. Instead he asked, "Would you happen to have a sample of C-28 that we can run a few tests on? Our doctor will want to make sure it's safe, and I need to make sure it ain't gonna blow up our hull when we combine it with the trellium-D."  
"I can assure you that it won't." Solead frowned then, looking quite cross.  
"The Commander meant no disrespect, Solead. We simply wish to familiarize ourselves with C-28 so that we can implement it more quickly after the sale," Archer said.  
"I suppose a small sample could be arranged," Solead replied, however grudgingly. He moved to a wash basin, removed the gloves from his hands, and rinsed his hands in a green liquid. From there he dipped them in a red gel, then held them under an equally red light. When he removed his hands from the light ten seconds later, there was no trace of either the red or the green substance.  
Archer, Trip, and Reed watched with curiosity while Solead opened a small cabinet by scanning his hands on a wall plate, though he didn't quite touch the plate. The Draden lifted something out of a container and withdrew it from the cabinet. Abruptly the cabinet doors slid closed, and immediately the door of another cabinet opened.  
Solead placed the object into the container that the new cabinet held, closed the container, and the second cabinet closed itself. Solead came back across the room then and addressed Archer. "I need you to contact me within six hours to tell me your decision of whether you will purchase the C-28. If your decision is yes, we will set up a meeting at that time for you to complete your purchase. In that event, your engineer will need to be present for technical reasons, as I'm sure you'll discover."  
The Draden turned his chilling gaze to Trip once more. "Her is your sample, Commander Tucker," Solead rasped in a quite conspiratorial tone. "Don't have too much fun with it. We wouldn't want Enterprise's hull to blow up, now, would we?"  
Trip stiffened at the Draden's jab, but resisted the urge to remove the alien's hand from his shoulder, where it had rested since Solead had begun speaking to him. Actually, rested wasn't quite the correct word. Solead was gripping Trip's shoulder, as if to make a point about something he was saying. Shrugging it off may have provoked the man, which was something none of them needed, so Trip offered Solead a curt nod and a forced smile.  
Seemingly satisfied, the Draden turned to Archer. "Your doctor will wish to study this sample in great detail I'm sure. I suggest you set a time schedule so there will be no time-wasting arguments."  
"I assure you that my crew doesn't waste time arguing. They are extremely capable of working within a time limit, one set by themselves, mind you, especially Commander Tucker and Doctor Phlox. If you will inform us of how to contact you with our decision, I'm afraid we must be going." Archer had made his words sound more forceful and dangerous than he normally would have, simply to call off Trip, who was ready to give the Draden a good, old-fashioned, southern whipping  
"Of course. Here you go." He walked over to the counter where his gloves were sitting and slipped them back on as he picked up something similar to a padd and gave it to Archer. "It's been a pleasure. I look forward to our next meeting."  
"As do we," Archer said, hoping he sounded more sincere than he felt.  
"A rather abrasive fellow isn't he, sir?" Malcolm commented to Trip when they were a distance away from the building and on their way back to the shuttlepod.  
"Abrasive's sure not the word I'd use, Malcolm, but yours is a nicer term."  
Archer chuckled at his friend's grumbled comment. Trip had always been one to say what was on is mind and worry about the consequences later, though he had improved during his years in Starfleet. "Just make sure you don't hog the C-28 when we get back to Enterprise, Trip." The captain just couldn't resist.  
Trip glared at him. "Very funny, Cap'n. Why don't I just give Phlox half of the sample? Then there will be no more questions of my ability to share."  
"That would be an excellent and time-efficient idea, Trip." Archer was still smiling mischievously at his engineer.  
"Yes, and it's an idea I came up with all on my own. I'm sure Solead would be amazed." Trip rolled his eyes, and was saved from further conversation by their arrival at the shuttlepod.  
  
TBC... 


	2. It's Alive

C-28  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Please see chapter 1 for disclaimer and other info if you're so inclined.  
  
The engineering staff had been conducting experiments on their half of the C-28 sample for the past three hours. Every simulation they ran through the computer showed a shielded, strengthened trellium-D, but Trip couldn't even begin to guess how the compound was to be molecularly bonded with the trellium-D.  
He was about to try a completely different approach when the comm. Sounded. "Dr. Phlox to Commander Tucker."  
"I sure hope this is good news," Trip muttered to himself, setting down the padd he'd been working with and crossing to the comm panel. "Tucker here, Doc."  
"Commander, in our studies of this most remarkable compound, T'Pol and I have made quite a fantastic discovery. If I wouldn't have seen it with my own eyes, or rather, with a microscope, I—"  
"Doctor, your point?" Trip asked. Phlox had a way of making his explanations go on and on.  
"Ah yes. It turns out that C-28 contains not only inorganic matter but also organic matter, and more remarkably, DNA."  
"Are you saying that this stuff's alive?" Trip's eyes widened.  
"That's where things get complicated."  
"Give me the condensed version, Doc."  
"The bottom line is that, while not being alive in the sense of the word we're used to, the DNA in C-28 makes it capable of bonding with trellium-D on a level that no other compound I've been able to synthesize can."  
"Trellium-D contains an inorganic half-chain structure that matches exactly with the C-28 DNA. It is a most curious relationship that will certainly require further study," T'Pol added, "Especially because of the unknown origin of the DNA itself."  
"Can we perform the process of joining the trellium-D and the compound here? Our simulations say it would work, but I was missing the DNA aspect."  
"We have also run simulations that indicate that possibility. They also indicate that C-28 will, in fact, block the toxic effects of trellium- D. I plan to recommend to the captain that we complete the purchase of C- 28."  
"We're sending you the summary of our findings now, which should help you to form a process for joining C-28 and trellium-D," Phlox added.  
"Thanks. Would you mind bringing me the details of your scans later, Doc? I'd like to take a look and make sure we're not missing anything important at this end."  
"Of course, Commander. I'll bring them by the cargo bay this afternoon. Phlox out."  
Trip watched on his monitor while the doctor's summary came through. He pressed a couple of buttons, which sent the files to the other terminals in the room. "All right, people, the doctor has informed us why we're not making progress as quickly as we were hoping. These files should—"  
"Commander, look out!" someone shouted.  
Trip spun around, instinctively ducking at the same time. Before he fully comprehended what was going on, he felt more than saw the huge storage container slam into his shoulder. He was forced to the floor, but the container's momentum carried it clear of his position where it came to rest on its side.  
Momentarily dazed, the chief engineer was aware of more shouting, and then someone was talking to him. "Sir? Commander? Are you all right?"  
Trip shook his head to clear it, and winced as it sent a burning pain through his neck and the shoulder that had been hit by the cargo container. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the warning."  
Ensign Avery nodded. "If you wouldn't have ducked, it would have caught you square on the head."  
"Thank goodness for reflexes. What on earth happened anyway? One minute I'm standin' here working and the next there's some packin' crate tryin' to make a pancake of me."  
"Well, I'd guess the container was destabilized when we encountered that last anomaly," Avery said.  
"When we're finished here, I want to make sure the rest of the containers are stable. For now, steer clear of this area if you can help it." The engineering team nodded. "Now, what I was attempting to say before is that the doc sent us some useful information that should help combine the C-28 with the trellium-D. I'd like you all to take into account his studies in your next simulations. I believe it's what we've been missin' all along. I'd like your reports in an hour," Trip said as he headed for the door. "I'll be in my quarters if something comes up."  
  
++++++++++  
  
Entering his quarters, Trip headed straight for the bathroom. He hoped a hot shower would do the trick to keep his muscles from stiffening up. He knew if he didn't do something that his arm wouldn't be of much use by the end of the day. After slipping his shirt off, however, Trip decided that the shower wasn't the best idea after all.  
Where the container had hit him, his skin was already black and blue, and getting more swollen by the minute. Pulling on a t-shirt, he decided to try icing it instead. He was halfway across the main living area of his quarters, and heading toward the cabinet containing the first aid kit when the burning pain returned to his neck.  
The pain failed to stop at his shoulder this time, however, and when it had moved down to the middle of his back, Trip decided it was time he paid a visit to Phlox. He was turning to head for sickbay when the pain intensified tenfold and every muscle above his waist seemed to seize up. Trip gasped and felt his knees start to give way as his vision swam. Falling, he tried to steer himself away from the glass coffee table, but only halfway accomplished the task. His last thought before consciousness left him was spent wondering what had been inside the container that hit him in the cargo bay.  
  
TBC... 


	3. This Deal Is Too Uncontroversial

"C-28"  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Disclaimer, etc. at the beginning of Chapter 1  
  
A/N: Sorry I took so long with this. Life gets busy when you least expect it. :)  
  
Phlox entered the cargo bay and glanced around. The engineering team was hard at work, and no one even noticed his presence until he spoke to one of the ensigns. "Excuse me, but do you know where I can locate Commander Tucker? I assumed he'd be here. I have the results of the rest of my scans that he wanted to see."  
"Sorry, Doctor. He left quite a while ago," the ensign replied.  
"I thought he said he was going to be in his quarters," someone else supplied.  
"Thank you. I'll try searching for him there," Phlox smiled and headed for the door.  
  
++++++++++  
  
The doctor pressed the chime a third time and spoke through the comm. "Commander, I know you're in there. No one has seen you in engineering for hours, and there are not many other places I can think of that you'd be."  
He waited another ten seconds before pressing the comm one more time. "All right, Commander. I've given you fair warning. I'll leave my scan results and be on my way." Phlox entered his override code for Trip's door, which slid open with a hiss.  
Entering the semi-darkened room, something just didn't feel right to Phlox. He noticed shards of broken glass strewn about on the floor. Stepping closer, Phlox was startled by the sight before him. "Commander!" He recovered from the unexpected sight of Trip sprawled on the floor and rushed to his side.  
"Commander, can you hear me?" The doctor touched Trip's neck, and finding a pulse, breathed a small sigh of relief. Carefully, he rolled the engineer onto his back, and then went to the bathroom to get a towel.  
Phlox gently wiped most of the blood from Trip's face, shaking his head in dismay at seeing the laceration that ran from his scalp all the way down to his temple. At that moment, the doctor heard a faint moan. "Commander? Time to wake up."  
Trip's eyes flickered open and he blinked, trying to focus on the doctor through bleary eyes. "Doc? What's going on?" he mumbled, not fully aware of his surroundings. Trip tried to sit up, but Phlox placed a firm hand on his shoulder, keeping him down.  
"Take it easy, Mr. Tucker. You've got quite a gash on your head." From somewhere unknown to Trip, Phlox produced a tricorder and began scanning. After a few moments he set it aside. "Sit up slowly," he instructed, placing a hand on Trip's arm in assistance.  
Trip did as he was told, his back protesting all the way. Finally upright, he risked turning his head slightly. Bad move. The room started spinning and pain exploded behind his eyes. He sat still for a few moments and both the pain and dizziness subsided somewhat. As he stood, however, both returned with a vengeance and his vision blurred once again. Trip felt the dizziness begin to overwhelm him when Phlox gripped his arm firmly and guided him to the sofa.  
"Thanks, Doc," Trip said quietly. He opened his eyes again to find his vision clearer. "Sorry about the mess. I think I must've tripped."  
"As your nickname suggests is possible," Phlox commented with a slight smile.  
"Yeah, just wait 'til Jon gets wind of this. I'll never hear the end of it. Seriously though, Doc. Give me a Band-Aid for the ol' noggin and I'll be out of your hair. In fact, I think I'll just sack out right here for the evenin'."  
"I don't think so, Commander. I intend to fix up your 'noggin', which involves making sure you don't have a concussion. Then there is the matter of why you lost your footing in the first place, not to mention your shoulder..."  
"How on earth did you..." Trip glanced at his bruised shoulder, which was covered by his shirt, then looked at Phlox suspiciously.  
"Other than the fact that it's twice the size it should be and you cringe every time you move it?"  
Trip sighed. The doctor did have a point. Several, he had to admit, even though he'd never admit it to anyone but himself. "I don't suppose playin' dead will make you go away any quicker either, will it?"  
"Not likely. Besides, if you do that, the captain will no doubt ask questions when you don't show up for duty. I may then find myself in an unfortunate situation leaving me no alternative except to inform him that you 'tripped'."  
Great, now he can blackmail me too, thought Trip. "Speaking of duty, give me two minutes to send my report to the Cap'n and then I'll let you run all the scans you need...as long as I get to sleep through 'em." Trip yawned, pulling himself to his feet and trying desperately to appear unaffected by the pain in his shoulder, back, and head. A short glance at the frown on Phlox's face told him he hadn't quite succeeded.  
Sitting down heavily when he reached the computer terminal, Trip picked up a padd and punched a few buttons. After tapping a few more on the terminal itself, in a process that seemed to take forever, Trip leaned back in his chair. Sleep was suddenly irresistibly inviting, and he closed his eyes. The doc was going to...  
"Come now, Commander. Stay awake for me a little while longer." Phlox put a hand on Trip's good shoulder, a concerned look on his face.  
...become very annoying. Trip forced his eyes open.  
"I let you have your two minutes against my better judgment, now it's time you keep your part of the bargain," the doctor reminded.  
"Fine, but you'd better work fast, Doc. The Cap'n won't be very happy if this deal gets botched because I can't make it to the next meeting with Solead."  
"You let me worry about Captain Archer. If he has a problem, he can take it up with me."  
Trip looked at the Denobulan skeptically, but didn't carry the subject any further. He stood slowly, trying not to flinch when his back protested at straightening, and allowed Phlox to guide him to the door. They moved into the corridor, and Trip focused on walking in a straight line, while Phlox chattered about something or other that Trip didn't exactly find interesting at the moment. The engineer put one foot in front of the other, more out of habit rather than having an actual desire to go anywhere, and so he didn't notice just how weak his knees were becoming until the doctor was calling out to him.  
"Commander?" Phlox's voice sounded distant, but for some reason Trip still responded, turning his head toward the voice.  
Trip had just enough time to see the concerned look on the doctor's face and wonder why it was focused on him before a wave of nausea and dizziness hit him full force. He felt his knees buckle beneath him for the second time that day. I bet that's why he was looking at me like that, Trip thought as his world turned dark once again.  
  
++++++++++  
  
The engineer looked around. They were at the scheduled meeting spot, and Malcolm was with Jon across the clearing, taking scans of the area. Trip felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Solead holding a sword. He felt another tap from behind and craned his neck to see...Solead? Trip's head whipped back around to the front. Solead was there too.  
"What the...Aah!" Trip cried out involuntarily as something was stabbed into his shoulder blade. He tried to wrench away from his attacker, but the Solead in front of him was suddenly gripping his shoulders, holding him back. His attacker stabbed him again, dead center on the spine.  
In desperation, Trip brought his arm back to swing at the man holding onto him. Instantaneously, his shoulder literally burst into flames. As the pain from that completely...inconsistent...occurrence reached him, Trip dropped his arm, blinking away the tears that had come, unbidden, to his eyes. Another stab of pain went though his back. Solead was speaking to him, but Trip couldn't make out the words. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain, angered and confused, and when he opened them again, he found himself in...sickbay?  
None of it made sense. Dr. Phlox was standing in front of him, holding onto his shoulders. No. Solead had just been there. What was going on? Disoriented, Trip tried to scramble away, but Phlox didn't release his grip.  
"Commander, it's all right. You were having a bad dream." The Denobulan medic gently held Trip's shoulders until the engineer stopped thrashing and finally focused on him.  
"You call that a dream?" Trip gasped.  
"I assure you that's all it was. You still haven't been sleeping regularly, and hitting your head hasn't helped with your nightmares, I'm certain," Phlox said quietly.  
Just then, another stab of pain raced through Trip's back. "Not to question your diagnosis, Doc, but if that was all just a bad dream, then why's m' back feel like it's in a vice and m' shoulder like it's bein' roasted over the coals?" Trip's face was contorted, his expression a quite accurate display of what he was feeling.  
Phlox picked up a scanner. After passing it over Trip, he frowned thoughtfully.  
"What did you find?" Trip asked.  
"I'm not exactly certain, Commander. I will need to run more tests. This could be a contributing factor to why you passed out before."  
"Yeah, what happened anyway?" Trip asked as his breathing normalized.  
"I was telling you of my desert tar snake's difficulties in adapting to sickbay's climate when you lost consciousness. From the scans I performed while you were unconscious, the cause of your blackout is the rather serious concussion you suffered when you hit your head in your quarters. However, these scans I've just taken are not consistent." Phlox moved to a cart, and rummaged through its contents for a moment. He returned shortly to Trip and injected him with the hypospray.  
"What was that?"  
"A muscle relaxant and mild anti-inflammatory," Phlox said. He eased Trip back onto the biobed. "That should take the edge off the spasms. Try to get some rest. I'll come back and check on you after I've had a chance to go over these scans a bit more."  
Trip nodded, watching Phlox disappear into his office. He was suddenly quite drowsy and suspected as he drifted off that Phlox's 'muscle relaxant' had contained something extra.  
  
++++++++++  
  
Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Trip glanced around, coming to remember the events of the last few hours. Shifting slightly, he was pleased to find that his back was no longer cramped as badly as it had been. He was pondering getting up when Phlox entered.  
"Ah, Commander, you're awake," Phlox said a little too cheerfully for Trip with his still-aching head.  
"Yeah. What time is it anyway?"  
"1215 hours," Phlox said without a glance to his chronometer. Apparently, he'd expected the question.  
"I've gotta get to the bridge. The Cap'n will want advice in dealing with Solead." The engineer actually made it to a sitting position before Phlox objected.  
"You're not going anywhere just yet, Mr. Tucker. I'm not finished treating your injuries, and I'm also not yet satisfied that I know what's going on with your back. Did you not advice Captain Archer in the report you sent earlier?"  
"Yes, but—"  
"Then I'm sure he will forgive your absence from the bridge. How is your back, while we're on the topic?"  
Trip let out a defeated sigh. "Better than before. Whatever ya gave me worked wonders."  
"Don't give it too much credit until I've finished my next round of tests, Commander. I must tell you that after going over my scans, I have never seen as many muscle groups contract at the same moment as your back did a little while ago. To say the least it is curious, but we will hopefully know more in a while. If you will remove your shirt, I'll fix up your shoulder and then we can get to work on the rest of those scans."  
"Sure thing." Trip started taking off his shirt, and very quickly realized he was going to have a problem. "Uh, Doc?" Trip said sheepishly. "I think I'm stuck."  
Phlox chuckled. "I would be quite surprised if you weren't a little less agile than usual at the moment, but I think we'll have you back crawling through Jeffries tubes in fairly short order. From what I saw earlier, it's probably nothing more serious than some strained muscles and bruising, but...oh my." Phlox had been chattering the entire time he was preparing his equipment, so he was quite startled when he got a good look at the engineer's shoulder.  
"What's the matter?" Trip turned his head to try to see whatever Phlox was looking at, but only succeeded in making his neck hurt.  
"Well, these certainly weren't here before."  
"Huh?"  
"You have some fairly severe burns on your shoulder that appear secondary to the bruising, but they most certainly weren't here when I scanned you before."  
"Well, I can assure ya nothin' burned me, so unless my nightmares are comin' true, there's something very odd goin' on here."  
"I would have to agree. I'll compare these scans to the ones of your back. It's possible there's a correlation, though I'm not sure what it is at the moment. This is probably going to sting a little," Phlox warned as he began to cleanse the burns with antiseptic.  
"Ya sure do...have a gift...for understatement, Doc," Trip said through clenched teeth. "Are ya sure that's not acid?"  
"Quite, Commander. That most certainly wouldn't be a sound treatment for this injury." Phlox put away the antiseptic and bandaged the burns. The Denobulan studied Trip's face for a moment, which had become decidedly pale since he'd begun his work. By the time he had the sling in place, 'pale' was hardly a sufficient term. "There, that should do it," he announced, then helped Trip to lie down again.  
"What about the other scans?"  
"Give yourself a few minutes to relax, Commander. I'll bring you something for the pain."  
Trip wanted to protest, but he felt too drained to do more than nod. He'd give himself five minutes to make Phlox happy, but then they were going to get to the bottom of all this. His eyes drifted closed and his mind started sifting through the work that was ahead while he waited for Phlox to return.  
  
++++++++++  
  
The doctor returned to Trip's side to find the engineer asleep, and he injected the contents of the hypospray into Trip's neck and placed an ice pack around his shoulder. He checked Trip's vitals once more before returning to his office, pleased to see they were stabilizing.  
It was some time later that Phlox looked up from his screen when he heard the doors to sickbay slide open. He'd been searching through his scans for some explanation for the burns that had appeared on Trip's shoulder, but so far had found none. Phlox stood up from his desk as Captain Archer entered the office.  
"Where's Trip?" Archer asked, lines of concern evident on his face. "When he didn't respond to the comm I had T'Pol locate him using internal sensors."  
"This way, Captain," Phlox said, motioning for Archer to follow him. "The Commander had a bit of an accident. I would have informed you earlier, but I was waiting until I could provide you with a more conclusive diagnosis."  
"Diagnosis of what?" Archer asked with a frown as he saw Trip's bandaged temple and immobilized shoulder.  
"The Commander has been having severe back spasms, which were apparently the cause of him falling in his quarters, in turn causing the concussion. Prior to that, a packing container hit him in the shoulder while he was working in the cargo bay, causing the injury to his shoulder. Suffice it to say he is not having a good day. These incidents do not, however, explain the burns on his shoulder. I believe that the burns and spasms are in some way related, but I have yet to ascertain how. Have you or Mr. Reed experienced anything out of the ordinary since your return from the planet?"  
"I can't speak for Malcolm, but I haven't had any unusual symptoms."  
Phlox nodded.  
"Can I talk to him?" Archer asked, gesturing to Trip.  
Phlox shook his head. "The Commander is sleeping without the aid of a sedative or neuro-pressure for the first time in weeks. This suggests to me that his body is exhausted. Unless it is an emergency, I must deny your request, Captain. He needs to rest."  
"A second meeting has been set up with Solead..." Archer began, attempting to explain their predicament to Phlox.  
"What time, Cap'n?" Both Archer and Phlox turned in Trip's direction, surprised to see him looking at them.  
"Hey, Trip. How're you feeling?" Jon asked, moving closer to his friend.  
"Been better, been worse."  
"We've set up another meeting with Solead for 1530 hours to discuss our deal to purchase the C-28. You think you're up for it?"  
"Anything for C-28," Trip said, using his good arm to push himself into a sitting position.  
"Not so fast. You're in no condition to be going on an away mission, Commander."  
"It's nothin' stressful, Doc. I ride down there in the shuttle, take a few scans of the C-28, and make sure it's safe for travel. Someone else loads it up and we're back here before ya know it."  
"Which is why I don't see any reason that one of your engineers can't go on the mission in your place."  
"For the reason that I've got a feelin' this deal ain't gonna happen if I'm not along for the ride. Solead said I'd be needed at this meeting, and I think he meant me personally. Guess the man needs the heat of controversy to do business by."  
Archer nodded in agreement. "It's just for an hour or so, Phlox. He can last it that long, can't he? If we weren't in such urgent need of this shielding, I wouldn't be pressing this."  
Phlox sighed. "In his present condition, Commander Tucker would most likely be able to last for that amount of time if he doesn't experience any more spasms or complications from his concussion. I can't guarantee that he won't, however, and since I don't understand the cause of all this yet, I feel much more comfortable being able to monitor his condition."  
"How about a compromise, Doctor? We'll bring an engineering team with us to do the scans of the C-28. Trip can stay in the shuttlepod unless Solead insists upon his presence, or if we absolutely need his expertise to safely complete the transaction. You can monitor his vitals through the shuttlepod's internal sensors," Jon finished, tossing a sideward glance toward Trip.  
"My thoughts exactly," Trip said, giving Phlox a grin.  
"Why do I already regret this?" Phlox replied, shaking his head resignedly.  
  
TBC... 


	4. That's Ridiculous!

C-28  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Disclaimer, etc. at beginning of Chapter 1  
  
Thanks to all who have reviewed. I appreciate the feedback. :)  
  
At 1500 hours, Archer, Trip, Reed, Phlox, and the two engineers Trip had chosen to accompany them were gathered in the shuttlebay. Reed and Archer were briefing the engineers on the procedure for the transaction, while Phlox got Trip settled into the shuttlepod and calibrated the internal sensors to keep watch on his condition.  
"If you have any more spasms, use the muscle relaxant again. I've also included some painkillers in case your shoulder begins bothering you. I would tell you to try to rest, but I doubt it would do any good." Phlox handed Trip the medkit.  
"Thanks, Doc."  
"Don't be thanking me yet, Commander, just please try not to make more work for me." With that, he turned and stepped out of the shuttle, heading back to sickbay to monitor Trip from afar.  
  
++++++++++  
  
The shuttle ride to the surface was without incident, but as they came into the clearing, it was very obvious that the weather had changed in their absence. The change wasn't for the better either. At least a foot of snow had fallen, and drifted to piles nearly six feet high in some areas. Both snow and wind had apparently ended, however, as sunlight, albeit cold, shone through the trees.  
Trip was glad he'd brought more than a lightweight jacket this time around, though he still wasn't looking forward to trudging through the snow. When everyone else started for the shuttlepod's exit, Trip began to stand as well, but was stilled by a stern look from Archer.  
"Nice try, Trip. If I didn't think that Solead's strange preoccupation with insulting you might be of detriment to our obtaining the C-28 in its absence, you would still be in sickbay. Don't push your luck. If we need you, we'll contact you right away. Otherwise, stay put."  
Trip nodded his acknowledgement, then leaned back in his seat, suddenly feeling quite exhausted. Placing his communicator within easy reach, as well as a phase pistol, just in case, Trip watched the shuttle hatch close before watching his own eyelids slide shut.  
  
++++++++++  
  
Archer, Malcolm, and the two engineers arrived at the main door of the same building where they had met with Solead that morning. The door slid aside, allowing them to enter, but the Draden was nowhere to be seen. The four spread out a bit and had a look around in the general vicinity of the entrance. Malcolm returned a few moments later, a frown present on his face.  
"I don't like this, Captain. It's not like Solead to be late."  
Archer raised an eyebrow, a gesture very T'Pol-like. "Give the guy a break, Malcolm. It's only been three minutes, and you've only had one meeting on which to base your opinion."  
"Very true, sir. But may I point out that I'm not the only one who is aware of the amount of time that has passed."  
"All right, I'll admit that much, but let's not say he stood us up just yet. If you were a Draden trying to prepare for the sale of C-28, where would you be?"  
  
++++++++++  
  
"I don't like this, Solead. You told us they would have their engineer with them. Instead, there are two strangers." The reptilian Xindi glowered at Solead and the monitors in turn.  
"They very badly want the C-28. If I set it as a condition of the sale that he be present, they will get him here."  
"And if they do not?"  
"They won't get one molecule of C-28."  
"And you won't get another day to live, Draden. Go on, wouldn't want to keep them waiting," the Xindi snarled, shoving Solead toward the door.  
  
++++++++++  
  
Trip awoke with a start, jerking away as he felt something cold touch his neck. When his eyes finally focused on the person attached to the hand holding a sword at his throat, he wasn't that surprised to see another Draden. The engineer opened his mouth to comment on their greeting habits, but was silenced as the sword flicked from his neck to mere millimeters from his lips, seemingly without having moved at all.  
"What the hell happened to you?" The Draden asked, a surprised expression coming to his face as he looked Trip over more closely.  
"Excuse me?" Trip's expression was just as baffled as the Draden's.  
"Were you in a fight?"  
"What do you care? And who the hell are you?"  
"Never mind that," the Draden shook his head. "Listen, he will be coming for you soon. You must leave now, while you still have a chance!"  
"Who's 'he'?" Trip asked.  
"A Xindi. He's a bounty hunter. Solead's working for him. The transaction your captain is preparing to make is real, the C-28 is real, and the price is real: you."  
"That's ridiculous!"  
"Solead accidentally ran across classified evidence of the Xindi weapon. When this bounty hunter caught up with him, Solead made him a deal. He would deliver Enterprise's chief engineer to the Xindi, and in exchange, could live. The bounty hunter is in the building with Solead and your captain even as we speak. You are most valuable to the Xindi, but all you Humans carry a ridiculously high price on your heads. I can't guarantee he won't take one of your friends instead if he can't find you," the Draden rolled his eyes.  
"And I'm supposed to believe you why?" Trip asked, still a bit grumpy after his nap. He just then noticed that the Draden couldn't have been much over the age of 18, which could explain much of the sarcasm.  
"Because if you don't, that Xindi is going to get wind of your presence, and this shuttlepod is the first place he's going to come looking. I don't need to tell you that you don't want to be here when that happens."  
"Okay, so where am I supposed to go?"  
"I don't suppose you'd have the good sense to get in the pilot's chair and fly this thing out of here?"  
Trip shook his head.  
"Then I'm afraid you're on your own. You never saw me here." With that, the Draden turned and was gone before Trip had a chance to say another word.  
He began to consider his options. Although he was inclined to believe that this anonymous Draden's assertions were false, there was that creepy vibe he'd been getting off of Solead earlier, and now there was his unexplained medical condition. But would Archer really fall for a set-up like this? It was definitely possible that he had no idea it was a set-up. Solead could have paid off any number of merchants such as Byx to direct them here.  
So what were his options? Stay and wait for his head to be collected for cash, or go out into the cold and snow, save the Cap, Malcolm, and his engineers, then spend another week in sickbay as a result of exacerbated injuries. Neither was very appealing, but at least he had a better chance of surviving the latter.  
Trip decided against contacting the captain, for if there was, in fact, a bounty hunter listening in, it wouldn't do to give away his location. Taking with him the medkit Phlox had prepared, as well as a flashlight, phase pistol, and communicator, Trip secured the shuttlepod and headed off through the trees toward the building, fighting off the headache and slight dizziness that any movement continued to bring.  
  
++++++++++  
  
At least half an hour had passed, and they were still wandering around in the corridor. Whatever patience Archer had had was completely gone. He had the sense that Reed's patience had run out long ago as well. The captain was taking out his communicator to contact T'Pol when Solead appeared around the corner.  
"It's about bloody time," Reed muttered, low enough so only Archer could hear him.  
"I apologize for my tardiness. I had to attend to an urgent matter. Shall we proceed?" "Please," said Archer with a frown, gesturing for Solead to lead the way. When they reached the same room they'd met in earlier that morning, Solead picked up a device similar to a padd and handed it to Archer. "The sales contract, dependent upon your chosen payment."  
"Lieutenant Reed has a list of possible items we are willing to trade. Look them over and see what suits your purposes."  
Reed handed him the padd, which Solead began to peruse. He nodded to himself as he scrolled through the list. "Several of these items would be an acceptable trade for the C-28."  
"That's good to hear. Your sales contract is acceptable to us as well. If you make a decision on what you'd like to trade, we'll make arrangements to have it delivered."  
"Of course. There is one other...small...matter. I was under the impression that your engineer would be present at this meeting. C-28 is most volatile. Someone with Commander Tucker's level of expertise is necessary to transport it safely."  
"Mr. Tucker has recently been taken ill," Reed explained. "Ensign Avery and Ensign Jace are prepared to handle the technical implications of the transfer."  
"Lieutenant Reed, I'm surprised. You being charged with the safety of Enterprise and her crew, I thought you would hold the same reservations as I."  
"I have confidence in Enterprise's crew, Mr. Solead, and it may as well be the Commander himself standing here as he personally appointed these officers to come in his place. As far as I'm concerned, that's fair enough for me."  
"You'll forgive me if I don't agree. I am a responsible businessman, gentlemen. I don't wish to see any of my clients harmed, and therefore I must decline the sale unless Mr. Tucker is present. I will allow you ten minutes to discuss it, but I must have your answer at that time." Solead turned and stepped out the door without another word.  
  
++++++++++  
  
"Is he here?" the Xindi asked immediately upon Solead's return to the room where he had been monitoring the meeting.  
"It is doubtful. I did not anticipate this." The last bit he said to himself, but the Xindi overheard.  
"You did not anticipate what?" he demanded.  
"That the Commander would become ill as a result of my plan..."  
"What kind of plan? The plan was for you to bring me the Human engineer! That was the only plan, and you have failed!"  
"Allow me to explain," Solead said, desperately trying to keep his voice calm. "The Draden possess a biological compound that is very useful in persuasion. It is a natural secretion of our skin, especially that of our hands, and when it comes into contact with another Draden's skin, they become more susceptible to the power of suggestion. In certain cases, if extensive contact is maintained, the effect is so great that the individual cannot help but act in the desired manner or perform the desired task."  
"And you used this...secretion...on the Commander?"  
"Yes. I wasn't even sure it would work, as it had to pass through his clothing, but the substance has an incredibly fine molecular structure, and apparently my worries were in vain. In any case, I assumed I would be able to lure him away from the others during our current exchange and give him over to you."  
"Well, that has not happened has it? I suppose I will just have to use the others as a bargaining chip to get to him then. Buy me five minutes by chatting with them, you're incredibly good at that. We shall then see whether the Humans get to see another day."  
  
TBC... 


	5. The Chase or That's Three!

C-28  
  
Chapter 5  
  
A/N: Sorry for the delay, but the semester's nearly over!  
  
See Chapter 1 for disclaimer and all that fun stuff.  
  
Trip struggled through the deep snow and dense trees toward the building. He had to make it there before the Xindi made matters even worse for the unsuspecting bargaining team. He'd covered less than a quarter of the distance and already his uniform was beginning to soak through from the snow that reached a depth just shy of his knees in some places. His pounding head and cramping back didn't help matters either. Silently, Trip berated Phlox for always being right, then silently apologized for the panic he was probably causing the doc by suddenly disappearing off the sensors.  
Continuing his journey, Trip skirted the edge of the clearing, looking for the least-steep place to enter the bowl-like depression the building was situated in. Suddenly, someone grabbed him from behind and pulled him back into the cover of the trees, covering his mouth with a gloved hand at the same time.  
"Listen, the Xindi has found out you are not with the others, but he now plans to use them to bargain for you. Unless of course he decides to turn them over to his people for money instead, which would probably be smarter on his part." The Draden from the shuttle muttered the last part of his sentence to himself.  
Trip overheard it nonetheless and glared at the young man. "Where are they?" he asked.  
"The same room where you met earlier. The Xindi was in a nearby control room at the time. If you have a way of warning your people, now would be a good time. I can't go in there with you though. If the Xindi sees me, I'm a dead man. He thinks Solead's the only one here."  
Trip nodded. He knew he couldn't use his voice in any communication as it would let the Xindi know he was, in fact, present. He could try one other thing though...  
  
++++++++++  
  
Solead returned from the control room to find Archer and Reed pacing, while the engineers stood off to the side quietly. "Have you come to a decision regarding my terms?" asked the Draden.  
"Yes, we have. I think..." Archer paused as he heard his communicator beep. "Excuse me a moment, Solead. This is Archer," the captain said, flipping open the device. When no one answered, he repeated, "Archer. Go ahead."  
Abruptly, the communicator erupted into a series of beeps and static. "It must be malfunctioning," Archer said, about to switch it off.  
To Reed, something in all that jumble of sound was too familiar, so he quickly asked Archer for it. Listening carefully, his suspicions were confirmed. "That's very odd, Captain. Didn't we have this exact same problem once before?" He looked at Archer very intently, handing the still- squawking communicator back. He had stressed 'before' just enough for Archer to get the hint.  
The captain allowed the static to run a moment longer, then switched it off and stowed it in his pocket. The static, was, in fact, Morse code, but Archer didn't at all like the message. Xindi setup. Get out. Trip. Archer glanced at Malcolm who gave the slightest of nods to indicate that he'd heard the message.  
"Sorry about that, Solead," Archer said, trying to keep his tone neutral. "The Expanse has been affecting our communication devices as well."  
The Draden nodded, then pressed on, "Your decision, as you were saying?"  
"We have decided to comply with your request. We will return to Enterprise and collect Commander Tucker, then return here to complete the transaction. The delay should be no greater than half an hour, but if you are busy, we can schedule another time."  
"I am afraid that won't be possible," a voice said from the other side of the room.  
The group turned toward the voice, finding a reptilian Xindi with some form of energy weapon trained on them.  
  
++++++++++  
  
"Well, I've done what I can without givin' myself away. In the time it takes me to reach that building, I'd say we'll pretty much know whether they've gotten the picture. If not, I'll just have to go inside and show that Xindi that my price is much higher than he thinks it is."  
"The minute he sees you, it's all over. He'll shoot your friends and take you captive. You're the only one worth keeping alive because you can give him information, but your captain's head and three other humans' as a bonus, and that Xindi's secured himself a nice cozy position someplace within his government, probably a nice little mansion in the Xindi tropics."  
"Then I'll just make sure he doesn't see me. I'll trade ya." Trip held out his jacket to the Draden.  
"You're out of your mind, but hey, don't take my advice. I'm sure I don't know what I'm talking about," the Draden shook his head, but began taking off his full-length, hooded fur parka.  
"Take it, but I don't want your coat. If that Xindi sees me wearing it, he'll kill me just as quickly. I'd rather be cold."  
"Whatever," Trip shrugged, starting to put on the coat, then stopping as the sling prevented him from progressing more than halfway. "Dammit! Care to give me a hand?"  
The Draden smirked. "I don't even wanna know what happened to you, man." He helped Trip unfasten the sling and ease the parka over his arm, which Trip found he couldn't move at all now without pain. Somehow he managed to get the coat all the way on and buttoned, and then he stashed the phase pistol and communicator in the pockets. "My advice is still to take the shuttle and save yourself."  
"Well, fortunately for my friends, I'm not willing to take that advice. Ya sure ya don't wanna come?" Trip asked, returning the Draden's smirk.  
"No thank you. I hope you survive." With that, he was gone. Trip shook his head, pulled up the hood of the parka, which was much warmer than even the heavier jacket he'd been wearing, and started toward the building.  
His progress through the snow seemed to take forever as he did his best not to fall. Walking down a steep incline and having to wade through snow at the same time was a tall order which he didn't have the patience for at the present time. Nearing the entrance after several minutes, Trip paused for a moment. He thought he could hear people talking and one of the voices sounded like Jon's.  
Not ready to make his presence known, even in disguised form, just yet, Trip moved around the outside of the building toward the origin of the voices. After some searching, he found a door half-hidden within a snowdrift. Though he couldn't make out quite what they were saying, they were definitely louder here, so Trip quietly pushed his way through the snow. Finding the door unlatched, he drew his phase pistol and cautiously swung it open. The room was empty.  
Empty as in devoid of persons that was. There was a panel of consoles along one side of the room, with monitors on each of them. Trip glanced at each one, until he came to the meeting room. He was out the door and three steps down the corridor before the scene fully registered in his brain. It was one Xindi to four Starfleet officers, only two of which were armed. He would improve those odds slightly, but only if he could aim sufficiently with his left hand.  
He needed a plan and he needed it quickly. The room he would be entering had two doors if he remembered correctly. The Xindi was facing the one he was closer to. The other door would be Trip's point of entry, but it was too far away for him to blast the Xindi from behind with his weapon. That gave him the advantage that the Xindi wouldn't be able to blast him back on sight either. A definite plus. Then an idea struck him.  
Sometimes the best strategies were those that no one was expecting, and those that weren't all that logical. T'Pol would no doubt disapprove if she knew what he was planning, but it was the best diversion he could think of on such short notice. No doubt the impact of running would not feel pleasant, but his legs were one of the few parts of himself he could trust to work at the moment, assuming he didn't have another spasm...  
He reached the door a moment later and paused to catch his breath and listen. A voice that he didn't recognize was questioning someone rather nastily. It had to be the Xindi. "Here goes nothin', Tucker," he muttered, pulling open the door. Just as he'd hoped, the element of surprise did the trick. The Xindi, apparently very shocked to see anyone else at all, released his hold on Malcolm. Then everything happened at once.  
Trip entered the room at a full run, still clad in his Draden accomplice's parka. Reed threw himself backward and attempted to kick the Xindi's feet out from under him. The Xindi jumped, and Reed missed him, but Archer lunged and knocked his weapon clear.  
Enraged, the Xindi swung at Archer, connecting with the captain's eye, knocking him backwards. Trip was halfway across the room by this point, and dived to the ground, rolling, just to confuse any weapons that might have been aimed at him. He hadn't been able to see because of the hood, which was no longer in place.  
The momentum from the Xindi's hit sent Archer sliding across the floor, and in his dazed state, he wasn't really sure whether he'd actually seen Trip. Trying to make sense of things, he called out to his friend.  
The Xindi realized quickly what Archer had just said, and shoved Reed away. Coming out of his roll, Trip saw the Xindi headed his way, and scrambled to his feet, urging his legs to go faster, even as his head throbbed more intensely. Reaching the exit, he slammed the door in the Xindi's face, gaining him a few seconds. He knew he had to get outside the building before the Xindi got too close. It wouldn't do to play a game of cat and mouse and end up trapped in a storage closet that looked like an exit from the outside.  
Glancing over his shoulder, Trip noticed that the Xindi was a good distance behind him, but possibly with unknown weapons tucked away. Ducking around the corner, the engineer sprinted down the hallway back the way he'd come and wondered how well the Xindi knew the layout of the building. A little second-guessing might buy him a little more time though even if the Xindi was familiar with the building though, he thought. He yanked open several closed doors before disappearing through the control room door.  
Moments later he heard one of them slam, and noticed on a monitor that the Xindi was hardly glancing into each of the opened doors. So much for the option of him not knowing the building's layout. Trip crossed the room and shoved open the door that led back out into the door. Since there was really no object he could use to block the door from the outside, he shoved some snow back around the bottom of the door, and then took off again just as he heard movement within the room.  
Trip ran through the deep snow as fast as he possibly could, back up the hill toward the trees. By retracing the previous tracks he'd made, things went more smoothly, but he still nearly fell twice. Another glance backward from the top of the incline showed the Xindi shove his way out of the building and do a quick visual sweep of the darkening landscape.  
"Dammit!" Trip cursed as he saw the Xindi spot him. It wasn't dark enough yet to hide in plain sight, and Trip didn't know how long his body was going to allow him to keep up this pace. He darted further into the trees, hoping they'd offer at least partial camouflage. He began skirting the depression toward the rear of the building. If he could make it that far, perhaps he would have enough distance between himself and the Xindi ship to stop and contact the captain. Maybe they'd even talk Solead into completing the sale of giving them a discount for their troubles. Yeah, fat chance of that happening, he thought. So much for C-28 unless they could somehow generically replicate more from the sample they possessed...Trip's thoughts abruptly shifted as an energy beam sizzled through the air bare inches from his face, close enough to feel the heat.  
Instinctively he ducked behind a tree and saw the Xindi about twenty yards back, closing fast. Trip got to his feet and pushed himself into a run once again. Recalling Malcolm's ground evasion training, he zigzagged through the trees, ducking and straightening up periodically to make himself as difficult a target as possible. Malcolm's training had also included diving to the ground and rolling, but Trip omitted that part, as he doubted his shoulder could take it.  
None of his efforts stopped the Xindi from firing on him, though. If he'd had any doubts left about the Draden's information about the Xindi, they were gone now. This Xindi wanted him. It wasn't about getting Enterprise crew, it was about getting Enterprise's engineer. Otherwise, the Xindi surely wouldn't have left an entire room full of them to come after him. He just hoped the captain would be joining the chase without too much delay.  
By not slowing his pace much and continuing to move in a circuitous route, despite his zigging and zagging, Trip soon reached the back 'corner' of the dome. Still running, he surveyed the back of the building as it came into view. An expanse of snow covered the ground to who-knew-what depth, and there was a small shed at the far end, near the building but not attached to it. Other than that, snow drifts, the darkness, and any fire he could lay down while running were his only protection. Not great odds, but he'd seen worse.  
Another glance backward showed a few yards' extra space in between them, but an accurate shot from the Xindi could potentially still make contact. He had to make a decision about whether he wanted to draw the Xindi's fire in the open or remain in the trees. There were advantages to both, but the disadvantages seemed to outweigh them in either case. Going into the open looked better, though, simply because complete darkness was mere minutes away and there were less things to fall over outside of the wooded area.  
Trip made his decision and turned sharply to the left, another shot from the Xindi lighting up the space he'd just vacated. He wasn't sure whether the Xindi had seen him change direction, but either way, it wouldn't be long before the reptilian picked up the trail again, and Trip had to be behind the cover of the nearest snowdrift before his pursuer emerged from the trees if he was to have a chance at surviving.  
He started down the incline at the place where there looked to be the least snow, only a couple of inches blanketed the ground. This good fortune only lasted the first five or six steps, however. The snow was becoming steadily deeper as he went, and Trip had to pick up his feet with each step to get over the snow, rather than dragging through it. He'd gotten into a pretty good rhythm considering the circumstances, and the terrain leveled out just ahead. On his next step, though, the ground was suddenly not where it should have been and he was pitched headfirst into the snow. Fro the depth it was, the snow was not at all packed, but rather was loose and powdery. This caused Trip's momentum to send him rolling down the incline, displacing the snow as he went.  
What the engineer was able to see was white, and that was only when he didn't have snow in his eyes. He couldn't tell for sure which way was up as he careened down the slope. Just then his momentum slammed him into hard ground. Pain shot through his bad shoulder, and then there was only darkness.  
  
A/N: Okay, I'll try not to knock Trip out in the next chapter... ;)  
  
TBC... 


	6. Rude Awakening

C-28  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Warning: This chapter contains some violence, but I think the last one did too, so the warning may be unnecessary.  
  
Thanks to all who still review, despite my delays in posting new chapters... ;)  
  
See chapter 1 for disclaimer, etc.  
  
Archer picked himself up from the floor, recovering quickly from the Xindi's hit, just in time to see his attacker disappear through the door.  
"What in bloody hell just happened?" Reed asked, walking quickly toward the captain.  
"Unless my eyes deceived me, that was Trip who just ran through here and the Xindi was more interested in him than in us. Have any idea why that may be?" The explanation was for Reed, the question for Solead.  
"What are you implying, Captain?" Solead demanded angrily.  
"I'm implying that you had something, if not everything to do with that Xindi being here, and it hardly seems like a coincidence that you kept demanding Trip's presence and when he shows up the Xindi goes chasing after him."  
"That's ridiculous! I am offended!"  
"We don't have time for this. Reed, secure Mr. Solead. We'll deal with him later. You two," Archer gestured to Jace and Avery. Search the building. Make sure the Xindi isn't hiding." He tossed his phase pistol to them, then turned to Malcolm, who had just finished tying up Solead. "Come on, we're heading outside.  
  
When Trip came to, the first thin he noticed was the cold. Then, the silence. Where was he? He blinked a couple of times, but something wet kept getting in his eyes. Snow. The memories of stepping into nothingness rushed back, and he remembered flying down the hill. He wondered how long he'd been out, because surely if it had been very long the Xindi would have already found him.  
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Trip became aware of a faint light coming from above him, or actually, below him from the way he was positioned. Craning his head, he could make out an opening in the snow, where moonlight was shining through. He turned halfway over so he could get his face out of the snow and get more air, and he was just going to begin digging himself the rest of the way out when he heard the faintest of swishing noises.  
The sound wasn't' that of crunching, for the snow wasn't packed hard enough, but it was definitely someone walking, and very nearby. Trip froze. If it was Archer, he'd probably yell something, to let it be known it was him. If it was the Xindi, then no sound would be made that wasn't necessary—as was the case currently  
Without warning, the blade of a sword jabbed down into the hole, narrowly missing Trip's nose. Trip held his breath. If he made noise now, it was over. The sword was withdrawn, and for a moment Trip thought his anonymous Draden friend was back. Then he caught the slightest glimpse of the Xindi through the hole, however.  
What happened then was a good-news-bad-news type incident. Good news being that the Xindi didn't bother to look or shine a light into the hole. The bad news was that he didn't leave either. He walked slowly along, not leaving Trip's general vicinity, and periodically stabbing the snow with his sword, which was presumably the stolen property of a Draden.  
Man, was it cold. Whoever had said it was supposed to be warmer underneath a pile of snow was mistaken. Trip resisted the urge to shiver quite easily because most of his body already was beginning to feel numb. He had opted to be cold rather than allow the Draden's coat to slow his progress. It was the numbness that kept him from crying out when the Xindi again drove his sword into the snow. Trip felt a feeling of pressure and then warmth on the back of his calf, but didn't immediately equate it with the Xindi. Nerves were interesting mechanisms when in the process of going num: one didn't always feel in real time. So it was not until he began to feel pain in his leg that he connected the warm feeling with blood.  
Trip clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut as the cold's numbing effect lost its potency. He fought to stay still, while concentrating on his breathing. When the next thrust also connected, just above his knee, it took every shred of willpower he had to not let sound escape him, even as the Xindi raked the blade through his flesh, seemingly without effort.  
Through a haze of pain, Trip realized that the Xindi must have though him to be dead. Either that, or he just couldn't see well enough in the dark to notice the blood on the sword, increasingly more each time he withdrew it from the snowdrift. Trip braced himself as a third jab connected, and wished he would pass out. He had nearly lost control on the last one, and it would be much simpler to resist crying out were he unconscious.  
Trip waited, his heart pounding in his ears, for the agony to continue, but after what must have been several minutes with no further contact, he let out a ragged breath. The Xindi must have moved on, thinking he happened upon a dead animal, recently buried in the snow. Trip was taking no chances though. He counted off five minutes in his head before he risked moving. Even then, he only scooped away enough snow so he was able to get a good look around. It was completely dark now, but the crescent moon caused the trees to cast long, eerie shadows down across the clearing. This would make anyone hiding in them practically invisible, but there was nothing he could do about that.  
Trip dug the rest of his upper body out of the drift and slowly sat up. His vision swam, but gradually cleared enough that he could move to push the rest of the snow away. In the darkness, he couldn't see his leg all that clearly, but he could see the large tear that went through nearly half of the upper region of his left pant leg. Trip didn't need light to tell him what condition the flesh beneath was in, and figured it was just as well that he couldn't see it.  
Since he couldn't risk turning on his light to examine the situation further, Trip decided it was time he tried to get to the shed where he'd be relatively hidden from view so he could contact Archer safely. Using his good arm, he attempted to get to his feet, and nearly made it. His injured leg didn't hurt as much as he'd been expecting, considering, but nevertheless, it buckled beneath him.  
It seemed walking anywhere was out of the question with nothing to brace himself on, so he got to his hands and knees—or, more accurately, his left hand and right knee—and just balanced there for a moment. Trip thought it might be possible to crawl in some way if his shoulder and bad leg would cooperate. He tested his shoulder first, placing his right hand down, and gradually leaning some weight onto it. It hurt, but it held. He took a deep breath, then drew his left leg even with the right, not able to prevent the gasp that escaped him when the rest of his weight transferred onto it. It also held. So far, so good.  
Trip drug his good leg through the snow awkwardly, then his opposite arm, and once he was stable there, his two injured limbs. Another deep breath and he repeated the procedure. Even though each movement was uncomfortable and seemed to take forever, when Trip looked toward his destination he found he'd already covered about a third of the distance. Using some of the breathing exercises T'Pol had taught him to help manage the pain, Trip continued. At one point the powdery snow deepened and he felt like he was swimming, but he kept on. Time lost meaning as he plodded along, his mind beginning to feel just as numb as the rest of him, but he just kept moving forward for what seemed like days until he actually bumped his head on the side of the shed.  
Up close, Trip noticed it was more of a lean-to constructed of wood and protecting several large cases of something or other. He crawled a couple more feet so he was underneath the overhang before he pulled out his communicator. He fumbled with numb fingers to get it open, and succeeded after a while. "Tucker to Archer," he said, his voice sounding much weaker to himself than he would have expected.  
After a moment, the captain's voice drifted back to him through the device. "Archer here. Trip, are you all right?"  
"Been better, Cap'n, but I'll keep for a while yet I think." I hope, he added silently to himself.  
"What's your position?"  
"I'm on th' opposite side of th' building from the main entrance, inside the little lean-to. Cap'n, there's a Xindi bounty hunter here lookin' for me in particular, but he'd settle for you an' Malcolm as a consolation prize, so be careful."  
"We got information of a similar effect out of Solead, though much more vague. Malcolm and I should be to your position shortly. Stay where you're at, Trip."  
"Gladly, Cap'n," said Trip tiredly.  
"Archer out."  
Trip shoved the communicator back in his pocket and dropped to the ground in exhaustion. He was about to give in to sleep when he noticed the lettering on one of the cases, illuminated by two dim lamps that hung from the overhang. They read: C-28. Inwardly groaning at the thought of getting up again, but his curiosity still getting the better of him, Trip pushed himself off the floor to have a look.  
With the support of one of the lean-to's beams, Trip was able to stand unsteadily by the nearest of the stacks of cases. Luckily, the top layer of cases were within easy reach so he could continue leaning against the pole as he undid the latches and opened the lid. Trip grabbed the tricorder from his pocket, the excitement giving him a bit more energy. The trouble was, he doubted it would last for long. His heart began to pound as he saw the readings. It seemed he'd just come across the proverbial 'buried treasure'. Now he just had to make it safe for transport to Enterprise.  
Having studied C-28 as much as he had during the past day, Trip noticed immediately the reason that the C-28 was out here unattended. The compound was highly sensitive to warm temperatures. It was also sensitive to any sort of vibration, so were someone to try to steal it just as it was in these cases, they would have a big problem. Thus, there was no need for guards unless a thief knew exactly what C-28 was and how to treat it.  
Inside each case was a solid brick of C-28, not well protected or secured. In the other half of the case was a special storage container, very much like the one Solead had placed their sample in earlier. Once placed inside the container, the C-28 was rendered inert by a gas that the container released when it was sealed. The container could then be transported safely. There was just one small problem: in its current state, C-28 was even highly sensitive to the warmth of a person's hands. It hadn't mattered with Solead. Apparently the Draden naturally had very low body temperatures, leaving them almost always with icy hands. Then Trip realized his hands were numb from the cold. It still wouldn't do for him to jar the C-28 by not being able to feel it, though. He didn't have any gloves either. If he waited for Archer though, it was possible they would have to leave quickly if the Xindi was still in the area. Having no idea if that was the case, Trip mad a decision and started rubbing his hands together quickly, forcing warmth back into them. It took a while, but eventually his hands were tingling and had enough sensation that he felt he could safely transfer the C-28. Just in case he'd warmed them too much however, Trip stuck his hands back in the snow momentarily to slightly reverse his work. Wiping them dry, he quickly placed the first brick of C- 28 inside its container. He closed the case, set it aside, and opened the next one in the pile.  
After a few repetitions, the process of transfer became routine, and Trip found his mind beginning to go fuzzy again. He shook his head slightly in an attempt to keep the impending drowsiness away and focused harder on what he was doing, surprised to see he was already halfway finished packing the C-28.  
Despite his best efforts, the exhaustion continued to gnaw at Trip's body. He was tired and in pain, both from his leg and his shoulder, but he wasn't willing to give in to sleep until the task at hand was completed. Unfortunately, he couldn't risk moving all of the cases to the ground so he could sit down while working. Instead, Trip kept working on the upper part of the pile until he had the stacks down to the height of his knees.  
Maneuvering down to the ground, the engineer stopped to rest for a moment. Trip was alarmed at the rush of fatigue and lightheadedness that resulted within seconds of ceasing his activity. He looked down at his left thigh and in the dim lighting was just able to make out the dark splotch that now covered most of his pant leg. Carefully taking hold of the lower portion of the fabric, Trip managed to tear away the material below his knee, as it was already shredded from the Xindi's sword, but not yet saturated. Steeling himself against the pain, Trip wrapped one of the strips around his leg above the gash, one below it, and the last over the wound, tying each as tightly as he could manage. Satisfied that maybe any further bleeding would be slowed, Trip was about to return to his work on the C-28 when he heard shouting in the distance. It sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't be certain because the words were muffled. One thing was for certain, though. Whoever was making the noise was getting closer.  
Suddenly a bright green beam of weapons fire lit up the night from somewhere beyond the lean-to. Trip recognized the glowing orange beam of a phase pistol returning fire. That could only mean that the Xindi was back and firing at the away team. Trip redoubled his efforts with the C-28 while keeping half his attention on the battle outside, in case it came too close for comfort. There were only five cases remaining, but there wasn't a whole lot of time.  
He'd just snapped the third case closed when he heard footsteps approaching quickly from outside. He fumbled for his phase pistol, doubting if it would do him any good if it was the Xindi. His hand closed around the grip and he began to draw as two shapes appeared out of the darkness behind two beams of light.  
"Trip, hold your fire! It's us," Archer called.  
Trip slumped back against the pole for a moment, shoving the phase pistol back in his pocket. "I'm sure glad to see you, Cap'n. I've had about all I can take of that Xindi today." Trip turned back to the last two cases of C-28 as Archer and Reed entered into the lean-to.  
"That Xindi won't feel like bothering anybody for a while, not after that hit he took from Malcolm's phase pistol...my God, Trip. Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" Archer's eyes went wide with concern as the beam from his light fell on Trip's leg.  
"I figured you had your hands full with that Xindi and there was nothing you could do until you got here anyway," Trip shrugged, snapping the fourth case closed. He reached for the last one, but Archer stopped him.  
"Leave it, Trip." Archer grabbed Trip's seemingly forgotten medkit from the ground and began scanning his friend with the tricorder it contained. The readings were alarming to say the least. Archer was surprised that Trip was still conscious, but knew he wouldn't be for much longer if they didn't do something about the continuing blood loss and hypothermia that was setting in. "Cap'n, It'll just take a minute. It's the last one."  
"I said leave it, that's an order." Taking a pair of scissors from the kit, Archer carefully cut away the lower portion of Trip's pant leg and dressed the wounds. Then he tightened the makeshift tourniquet that Trip had attempted to make around the upper part of his leg. "Here, put this on." Archer removed his jacket and draped it over Trip's shoulders.  
Trip was about to protest when he suddenly realized that he was, in fact, cold. Downright freezing would have been more accurate when he thought about it. "Thanks, Cap'n," Trip said quietly, closing his eyes.  
"Sir, we haven't been able to locate the Xindi anywhere on the premises," Ensign Avery reported, entering the lean-to followed by Ensign Jace.  
"That's because he's outside in the snow. He's alive, but he'll have one hell of a headache when he wakes up," Archer informed them.  
"And he will wake up," Reed said. "Which is why I suggest we leave as soon as possible."  
"Ensign Avery?" Trip forced his eyes open.  
"Sir?" Avery wasn't able to completely hide his look of alarm at seeing Trip's leg either.  
Trip put his attention elsewhere, though. "Pack up that last case of C-28, would ya? The rest of 'em are ready to go."  
"Yes sir." Avery turned to do as he'd been instructed.  
"You just can't be satisfied without the last one, can you?"  
"Guess not." Trip gave a half-hearted smile and tried to burrow deeper into Archer's coat. The captain just shook his head.  
"Mr. Reed, help Avery and Jace move the C-28. Hopefully we'll be able to take it all the first time," Archer said.  
"Aye Captain."  
"Trip, what are you doing?" Archer quickly grabbed onto Trip's arm as the engineer attempted to stand by using the support beam for leverage. His attempts were failing quite miserably too.  
"Gettin' ready to go."  
"Do you really think that leg is going to hold you all the way back to the shuttle?"  
"That's the plan, unless you'd like me to hop on my head all the way back, but according to Phlox, my head ain't in the greatest shape either." Trip took a step away from the pole, supported by Archer's arm around his waist. Then he took another, and though his knees wobbled, he managed to keep upright. He raised an eyebrow and looked at the captain with just a hint of a smile.  
Archer shook his head in disbelief. "All right, let's go then."  
  
TBC... 


	7. All in the Family

C-28  
  
Chapter 7  
  
A/N: To all who have been waiting and waiting for this chapter I am truly sorry for leaving you all hanging. I honestly thought I had posted another chapter after 6. Little did I realize until tonight that I hadn't. (Thanks Aurora!) Anyway, thanks to all who are still reading and reviewing for putting up with me, and I hope to finish this up in the next few weeks. There should just be a couple more chapters now.  
  
"Ow!" Jace yelped, and almost stumbled as something about the size of a golf ball hit him in the back. A moment later, Avery also cursed.  
"Bloody hell!" came Reed's not-so-quiet words.  
"What's going on back there?" Archer asked, slowing to a halt, which didn't take much considering the very slow rate at which Trip was able to move. Avery and Jace were behind them, with Reed bringing up the rear.  
"Someone is throwing rocks, sir. Catapulting would be a more accurate description."  
"Where are they coming from?" Archer asked, as he saw Jace duck, nearly dropping his armload of C-28.  
"The direction of the building I would say, sir. I haven't been able to get an exact fix on their origin."  
"You want a fix on the origin? I'm the origin!" came a shout from further behind them.  
They squinted through the darkness, and Archer turned his light toward the voice, which he found to have an owner named Solead. A very angry Solead. "Our sale was not complete! You have no right to take the C- 28!"  
Archer saw him raise what looked like a something between a crossbow and a slingshot, capable of shooting at least triple-projectiles. "Hit the deck!" Archer called out, lowering Trip to the ground as gently as he could before flattening against it himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other three officers do the same. He watched for the incoming rocks, and was relieved when none of them made contact. At least Solead wasn't a consistent shot.  
"If you would have just brought your engineer in the first place, none of this would be happening! Now I must protect my merchandise from thieves!" Solead called out as he reloaded.  
"Well do it on your own bloody time!" Reed called back, having come out of his roll with his phase pistol drawn. Solead opened his mouth to reply, only to slump to the ground.  
"Thank you, Mr. Reed."  
"Don't thank me, sir. I had nothing to do with it." Reed stood and brushed the snow off of himself before collecting his C-28.  
Archer looked at him, confused. "Who then?"  
"Me." A young Draden stepped forward into Archer's flashlight beam.  
"And you are?"  
"Jirah. I have the unfortunate circumstance of having Solead as my uncle. I have been assisting your engineer in evading the Xindi bounty hunter. For the most part, he did not listen to my advice."  
"Yeah, well, that's Trip for you."  
"Hurry, we must go now. My uncle will not be pleased when he awakens. I ask your permission to return with you to your ship."  
Archer looked at him.  
"Temporarily," Jirah added. "My uncle, as you've seen, is irrational when upset."  
"Come quickly then. Trip, we've got to move. Trip?" Archer put his fingers to Trip's neck when the engineer didn't stir. Finding a pulse, he lifted Trip over his shoulder and they continued on.  
  
The rest of their journey to the shuttlepod was without incident, much to everyone's relief. Jirah was glad to avoid his uncle's wrath, at least at the present time. Reed was just glad he hadn't had to shoot the man. The Xindi hadn't made any more surprise appearances either, so Archer decided to take a moment to question Jirah while he got Trip settled into the shuttle and the others secured the C-28.  
"So you say this Xindi is a bounty hunter?"  
"Yes. He showed up here one day, and my uncle—miracle of miracles—talked the Xindi out of killing him. Uncle unknowingly read some Xindi intelligence reports of a sensitive nature, and foolishly told the Xindi that he would deliver your engineer in exchange for his life."  
"Well, if Trip wouldn't have become ill right before the mission, Solead may have succeeded."  
"At least you continue his losing streak for him."  
Archer glanced at Jirah, not sure how to take the large amount of sarcasm and cynicism coming from such a young person. Archer wasn't about to defend Solead though, not after all the trouble he'd just caused.  
"We're ready to go, Captain," Reed informed him from the front of the shuttle.  
"All right. Contact Enterprise and alert Phlox to meet us in the shuttlebay."  
"Already done, Sir."  
Archer nodded, adjusting the blankets he'd wrapped around Trip before taking a seat himself. Reed initiated the launch sequence, and in another moment fired the thrusters and they were off. "I'm reading weapons fire," Ensign Jace reported.  
"It looks like it's the Xindi, firing a rifle with long-range abilities," Avery added.  
"Bloody bastard just won't give up, will he?" Reed muttered, glancing at the panel for the Xindi's position and easily avoiding the blasts.  
"It's his most annoying quality...well, if you don't count those ugly spikes sticking out of his forehead," Jirah said dryly. Reed had to smile at that.  
  
Phlox was already waiting for the shuttle when it arrived. His face mirrored Archer's look of concern as the captain carried Trip, barely conscious and trembling from the cold, out of the shuttlepod and carefully laid him on the waiting gurney. "How long has he been like this?" Phlox asked Archer.  
"About twenty minutes. He was pretty alert until a few minutes before we left the surface, but we had to stop moving for a minute and he passed out. He woke up again just now."  
"Doc?" Trip whispered hoarsely. "Sorry I....made more work for you."  
"It's all right, Commander. Just try to relax," Phlox said, patting Trip's shoulder. He turned to Archer. "I need to get him to sickbay right away. I'll inform you when I have some news. I want to check you over later, too," the doctor said, noticing Archer's black eye.  
Archer nodded, stepping back. He didn't like that he couldn't do something to help his friend, but he knew he would only get in Phlox's way if he followed the doctor to sickbay. That being as it was, he forced himself into captain mode and focused on what needed to be done with the C- 28.  
"Jirah, how much do you know about C-28?" he asked the Draden.  
"Enough to know that you were offering my uncle too much for it. Don't get me wrong, the stuff works like a charm, but it's not difficult for us to replicate, and therefore Uncle finds it very profitable when it comes to people in your situation."  
"I see. Would you mind assisting my people in testing the C-28 with our trellium-D while you're here? It would make things go more smoothly to have someone with firsthand experience around."  
"Not at all. The more time spent away from Uncle, the better. If assisting you will delay my departure, then so be it." Jirah grinned, then sobered. "And, Captain, could you please let me know when you hear of Commander Tucker's condition? I wish to speak with him for a moment when he's able."  
Archer nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Wait here a moment while I speak with Lt. Reed."  
"Sure."  
Archer shook his head as he walked away from Jirah. The young Draden certainly had no qualms about sharing his dislike for Solead. In fact, Archer wasn't sure that he had qualms about sharing much of anything that was on his mind. It was curious that he had been so polite when inquiring about Trip, though. He had yet to discern the entire nature of his chief engineer's relationship with Jirah.  
"Malcolm."  
"Sir?"  
"I'd like you to introduce Jirah to the rest of the engineers working with the C-28. He has agreed to help us out by providing his knowledge of the C-28 as needed. Keep an eye on him, though, and tell T'Pol to do the same. We don't know very much about him, and while it's a good sign that he seems to have great dislike for Solead, that doesn't mean he's harmless."  
"My thoughts exactly, Captain. How do you suppose T'Pol will react to Jirah's less-than-professional demeanor?"  
"I'll let you worry about that one." Archer smiled and then turned to go back to Jirah.  
"Malcolm will show you our science labs and the cargo bay where we're working with the C-28. Good luck."  
"Captain." Jirah nodded to Archer and then went to join Reed.  
Not seeing anything else in the shuttlebay that required his immediate attention, Archer headed for the bridge.  
  
"Captain." T'Pol greeted, standing up from his chair with the padd she'd been studying when he arrived.  
"T'Pol. Do you have any new information to report regarding the C- 28?"  
"Negative. Our preliminary studies show a high likelihood that C-28 will perform to our standards, but that is all I can tell you for certain at the present time."  
"All right. I'd like you to meet with Lt. Reed and Jirah, a Draden from the planet. Jirah is apparently Solead's nephew and wishes to help us in order to delay his return to the surface."  
T'Pol raised an eyebrow. "Do you believe he was involved in the incident with the Xindi?"  
"I don't know. His entire demeanor suggests that he's not, but that doesn't make it a fact."  
"Agreed." T'Pol paused for a moment, glanced down at the padd, then looked back to Archer. "What is Commander Tucker's condition?"  
"He's conscious, but his leg is badly injured. Beyond that, Phlox would be in a better position to give you information." The captain looked T'Pol in the eye, but her expression was unreadable. She simply nodded.  
"Of course. If that will be all, I shall go to meet with Lt. Reed?"  
"Dismissed."  
T'Pol nodded and disappeared into the turbolift without another word. Archer sat down in his chair and stared at the viewscreen, at the image of the planet slowly rotating below them. Why did each useful item or piece of information on this mission come with so high a price? First, obtaining the trellium-D had nearly cost T'Pol her sanity. Now Trip lay in sickbay with hypothermia and worse because of their endeavors to obtain the substance that would hopefully cure the original problem.  
Archer pulled his mind away from those thoughts. He told himself that everything would balance out down the road and everything turn out all right, but at the moment, he didn't even believe his own reassurances. Sighing quietly, he got up and went to the science station that T'Pol had recently vacated. He started running a few scans of the surface to see if he could find out what the Xindi was up to, if anything.  
After several minutes he located a ship in the region of their meeting place. The readings indicated a ship very similar to some Xindi ships they'd previously encountered. He worked the controls and attempted to get an exact reading on the ship's location, but there seemed to be some sort of sensor dispersal device in use. There was definitely a ship there, but the further he closed in on it, the more 'blurred' the sensor readings became. "Travis, I'm sending you some coordinates down on the planet. See if you can get a better fix on the ship in that general location and as many detailed scans as you can."  
"Yes sir."  
"And I want to know immediately if it moves or heads in our direction."  
Mayweather nodded from his station, already playing with the sensors in progression toward the captain's request. "Sir, would you like me to locate the Xindi for you as well?" "Anything you can manage would be great, Travis. I'll be in my ready room if you find something."  
"Aye, Captain."  
  
TBC... 


	8. News

C-28  
  
Chapter 8  
  
See Chapter 1 for disclaimer/rating/archiving info.  
  
Archer had finished off two piles of padds that consisted mostly of meaningless paperwork. He got through several more departmental reports before the words he was reading didn't make sense anymore. When he'd reread the same line of Malcolm's weapons efficiency report for the seventh time, Archer set the padd on the desk and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He considered assigning Reed more duties. The man obviously had too much time on his hands if he went into that much detail on phase pistols...  
He rubbed his eyes and blinked at the chronometer. It read 0130. Had he really been sitting here for that long? He pressed a button. "Travis, report."  
"Sir, I've just found a way through the sensor dampening field the Xindi seems to have around his ship. I'm proceeding with the scans you requested. Also, I lost the Xindi about five minutes ago. I last picked him up heading away from the building and his ship. He just vanished from sensors about a kilometer west of the building.  
"Vanished?"  
"Yes sir."  
"Is it possible he's somehow masking his lifesigns from our sensors?"  
"That's what I'm pursuing now."  
"Good work, Travis. Keep me informed. Archer out." The captain was about to contact T'Pol and Malcolm to check their progress when his terminal beeped. As it turned out, the Vulcan had sent him a textual report instead. "Isn't it quicker to just press the button on the comm?" he muttered, but skimmed through the message anyway. The C-28 wasn't ready to be bonded with the Trellium-D just yet, but the simulations they had run on the compound matched their previous speculations.  
Archer closed the message and got up to get a large cup of coffee from the mess when the comm sounded. "Phlox to Captain Archer."  
"Go ahead, Doctor." Archer said.  
"Please come to sickbay, Captain."  
"How's Trip?"  
"I'll tell you everything you want to know when you arrive. Phlox out."  
The captain was out the door of his ready room before Phlox had finished speaking. He had to resist the urge to jog through the corridors, but he still walked faster than usual. When the doors to sickbay slid open, Archer found Phlox waiting for him. The doctor's features were unreadable.  
"Doctor," Archer said, a feeling of dread building inside him with each moment the solemn expression remained upon the Denobulan's face. "Trip's not..." he couldn't bring himself to finish voicing the question.  
"No, Captain. Commander Tucker's condition is stable."  
"But?" Archer prompted, knowing there was something Phlox wasn't saying.  
"Had you been even a few minutes later getting him here, there would have been little I could have done. The injury to his leg was quite severe, and I only recently completed the surgery. I stopped the bleeding, but his condition is still very serious."  
"Will he be all right?"  
Phlox sighed. "The next few hours will decide a lot. The tissue damage to his leg was extensive and tested my sewing abilities, but given time and proper treatment, it should heal. The concussion and injury to the commander's shoulder, though both worsened by his time planetside, will also mend. Right now, my greatest concerns are the blood loss and hypothermia."  
"Are they life-threatening?" Archer pressed, anxious to get a definite answer from the doctor.  
"I wish I could say with certainty that they aren't." Phlox's tone was almost as serious as Archer had ever heard it, which deepened the captain's concern as the physician continued. "I'm doing everything to keep Commander Tucker stable, but he's lost nearly a third of his blood volume. The hypothermia isn't severe, but along with the blood loss, it is taking its toll on his already weakened body. Over the next few hours, I will continue to administer fluids and gradually raise his body temperature, but we will all need to be patient."  
Not knowing how to respond to such grave news concerning Trip, Archer simply nodded. "Can I see him?"  
"You may for a moment, but I've given Mr. Tucker a high dose of painkillers. That in combination with the anesthetic from his surgery will cause him to sleep until morning at least." Phlox led the way to a far corner of the room and moved aside the curtain so he and Archer could step through.  
Archer mentally berated himself for allowing Trip to come on the away mission as he looked upon his engineer's pale, still form. The young man looked very ill, and Archer knew that Phlox hadn't been exaggerating when he'd spoke of Trip's condition. The captain's mind wandered to consider their options, to consider what he should have done differently, what he would do differently in the coming days to ensure the crew's safety on this mission.  
As he pondered, Archer realized at some point, he had come to ponder nothing at all and so he just stood there, blankly watching his sleeping friend.  
"Captain," Phlox said, stepping back through the curtain. He had taken some scans of the engineer and then left Archer and Trip to themselves as he completed a few other tasks. "Commander Tucker needs to rest. You may come back to see him tomorrow. Captain Archer," he repeated, trying again to get the man's attention.  
Apparently, Archer had been standing in the same spot the entire time he was gone, Phlox mused. Not wishing to startle Archer, who was clearly lost in thought, Phlox stepped quietly to his side and lightly touched his arm. "Captain."  
At the his touch, Archer looked up, recognition snapping him out of his reverie after a moment. "Sorry, Doctor. My mind must have wandered. Let me know when Trip wakes up, or if there's any change," he said somewhat absently and turned to go. The day was catching up with him, and he must have swayed, for a moment later Phlox was again at his side, steadying him.  
"Captain, are you all right?"  
"I'm fine, Doctor. It's nothing a good cup of coffee won't fix."  
"Why don't you sit down while I confirm that, hmm?" Phlox said, guiding Archer back across the room.  
"Is it really necessary that you do this now? I need to check in with Travis," Archer said, suddenly grumpy that he didn't, in fact, have a mug of strong coffee.  
"This will only take a moment. Have a seat," the Denobulan repeated more firmly.  
Archer sighed in frustration, but sat down on the edge of the diagnostic bed. There was no putting off Phlox when he had that determined look, though Archer couldn't understand why the man insisted on giving himself more work.  
"When did you last sleep?" the doctor asked, frowning at the readings he was getting from his hand scanner.  
"What time is it now?"  
"0220 hours," Phlox supplied with a glance to his chronometer.  
"T'Pol woke me about this time yesterday. I can't say I've thought much about sleeping since then. I've been otherwise occupied."  
"Be that as it may, you are physically exhausted, and I don't need a medical scanner to tell me that."  
"And I don't need you to tell me that I'm tired either, Doctor. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of time to sleep right now."  
"Make time. As of now you are off duty and will remain so for the next four hours. I expect you to use that time to rest, nothing else.  
"The teams working on the trellium-D and C-28 don't get four hours, Doctor. Neither do I. We need to get ourselves shielded as soon as possible, and the more we can get done while Jirah is here to help us, the better. Plus, I somehow have a bad feeling that we haven't seen the last of that bounty hunter, especially if the price on our heads is as high as Jirah claims. He may not pose a large threat to us, but I'm not going to allow him to ambush us when we're not looking either."  
Archer and Phlox stared at one another, each ready to argue with what the other would next say. Finally, Phlox shook his head in exasperation. "Will you at least lie down for half an hour and allow me to treat your injuries and apply some ice to your eye before it swells shut completely?"  
"On one condition. If I happen to fall asleep, you have to promise to wake me immediately when you're finished."  
Phlox sighed. "It is against my better judgment, but if it's the only way then I suppose half an hour of rest is better than nothing."  
"In that case, you have yourself a deal," Archer said, wearily lying down on the bed while Phlox prepared what he needed.  
  
TBC... 


	9. Contact Information

C-28  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Disclaimer, etc. in Chapter 1  
  
The captain slowly realized he'd been drifting in and out of wakefulness, lulled by the quiet of sickbay and the relief brought by whatever was in Phlox's hypospray and the ice packs on his eye and jaw. He was about to let himself drift off again, knowing Phlox would wake him as promised, when he heard the door slide open, followed by several familiar voices.  
Archer first made out the voice of Ensign Avery, followed by Jirah's unmistakable sarcastic tone, a gasp and groan which he couldn't match with anyone in particular, and finally Phlox's curious yet concerned words. To say the least, it was enough to gain Archer's interest. Carefully removing the ice from his eye, he pushed himself up on his elbows and looked across the room to where Avery and Jirah were helping Ensign Jace onto a biobed.  
Once they were out of the way, he could see Phlox examining Jace's arm. Sighing and deciding that his brief respite was as good as over with, Archer swung his feet over the side of the bed and slowly stood up. He noticed with frustration that he felt more fatigued than when he'd laid down. The tiredness was able to be ignored, however, so he continued across the room, still holding the other ice pack to his throbbing jaw. "Ensign Avery, report."  
"Sir," Avery said, quickly overcoming his surprise at the captain's presence. "We were beginning the process of joining the C-28 and trellium- D, having calculated the correct proportions, when Jace collapsed, saying his leg had cramped up. By the time he got up, he said the skin on his left arm felt as if it were burning."  
"And apparently he was correct," Phlox said, casting Archer a disapproving frown before turning back to Jace. "Did you come into contact with anything that may have burned you?"  
"No. I've been working with the others on the C-28 since we got back from the surface," Jace replied.  
"I must admit, it is very odd to see this severe of burns with no outward evidence on the clothing and no apparent cause, but to see it twice in one day..." Phlox looked puzzled.  
"Wait, twice? Who was the other person, Doctor?" Archer asked.  
"Among Commander Tucker's injuries, prior to the away mission, were some burns and blistering on his shoulder. At the time, I attributed it to the container that hit him, what with my scans inconclusive, but now..."  
"You think there might be a connection," Archer finished, leaning against a counter in what he hoped was a casual manner.  
"I need to run more scans on Ensign Jace, then compare them with those I took of Commander Tucker. It would help if I knew what I was looking for, and if I could do my work without further distractions," Phlox said pointedly to Archer, and pulling over a nearby chair, placed a firm hand on the Captain's shoulder, forcing him to sit.  
"Perhaps I can help with that, Doctor." Jirah said.  
Archer was about to tell the young Draden to mind his own business when he noticed the serious look on the young man's face and it occurred to him that Jirah was probably referring to Phlox's scans.  
"Though I'll not be of much aid for ridding you of distractions, I'm afraid," the Draden added.  
Archer stiffened, but said nothing, waiting for Jirah to continue.  
"Go on," Phlox urged, eager to hear what the young man had to say.  
"I'm afraid that I have inadvertently caused Ensign Jace's injury. I hadn't thought of it until just now, but the Draden possess glands just beneath the surface of our skin that secrete a hormonal substance which allows for a certain...influential effect...among our species. The molecular structure of the secretion is such that it can penetrate fabric virtually unnoticed. Human skin must have an adverse reaction to it."  
"Is this secretion involuntary?" asked Phlox.  
"Most often, yes. There are Draden who are able to control it, secreting it at will. I am not one of those persons. Usually, the substance is released when we have very strong feelings about something. It allows us to sway others toward our way of thinking."  
"Does Solead have the ability to control the release of the substance?" Archer asked thoughtfully.  
"I'm not sure, he might. Why?"  
"Because if this substance has anything to do with Trip's condition, then Solead has to be the one responsible. He's the only Draden that Trip had any contact with before he accompanied us on the away mission."  
"It would stand to reason with Uncle's stupidity. He probably thought he could convince Commander Tucker to surrender to the Xindi." Jirah rolled his eyes. "Obviously, he was mistaken. I apologize for his actions, and mine."  
"You have no need to apologize, Jirah. If in fact this secretion is the cause, you had no control over it," Archer said.  
Jirah nodded. "Still, if there is any way I may be of assistance..."  
"Do you have any medical knowledge?" Phlox asked.  
"I would be of little assistance unless I knew what I was looking at. However, I understand most areas of science well, so with some guidance I will do my best to comprehend."  
"Good. I will let you know when I have progressed further in my analysis," Phlox smiled.  
"In the meantime, Jirah, you may return to work on the C-28 with Ensign Avery."  
"But what if I accidentally touch someone else?"  
"I'm sure Mr. Avery can find you some gloves that will offer sufficient protection."  
"All right then."  
[Mayweather to Archer.]  
Archer stepped over to the communications panel. "Go ahead Travis."  
[Sir, there's been a development concerning the Xindi that I thought you would want to know about right away.]  
"Did you find him?"  
[I suppose you could say that...]  
"Travis?"  
[Sir, please come to the bridge immediately.]  
"I'm on my way. Archer out." Archer turned away from the comm. Phlox was looking at him, as was Jirah. "Don't you both have work to do?" With that, he turned and walked out of sickbay.  
  
TBC...  
  
A/N: I will be busy with work the rest of this week, and next week I will be on vacation. I may update during my vacation week or I may not. I will post the next part as soon as possible though. Thanks to all who are still reading and awaiting updates. Your comments are appreciated! 


	10. Persuasion, Draden Style

C-28

Chapter 10

See Chapter 1 for all formal rating/archive/disclaimer info.

"What's going on, Travis?" Archer asked immediately as the turbolift deposited him onto the bridge, then stopped in mid-stride, noticing the viewscreen.

"Sir, we're receiving a transmission from the planet," Mayweather replied, stating the now-obvious. "I have them on standby."

Archer took in the curious scene. From the look of it, Solead was transmitting from somewhere inside the building on the planet. He had the Xindi with him, though oddly it seemed it was Solead who was in control. The submissive-looking Xindi reptilian was on his knees on the floor. Solead was standing by his side, no weapons of any sort visible on either person. Without the information he'd just acquired in sickbay, Archer would have been highly suspicious. Knowing what he knew, he had a pretty good idea of what was going on with Solead and the Xindi. "Put them through, Travis."

"Aye, sir."

"Solead. We meet again."

"Yes, Captain Archer. I regret the way I left things with you and your people. It is my hope that if you come to understand the circumstances behind my actions then perhaps we may be able to make a…fresh start."

"I'm not sure what business there is left between us requiring a fresh start, Solead, but since we're both here, I'm listening."

"Thank you. My Xindi companion has something he wishes to say to you. Don't you, Sere'ch?" Solead gripped the Xindi's shoulder tightly.

Despite the appearance, Archer doubted it was an attempt to inflict pain. Solead was wearing no gloves, and Archer could see the Xindi's mottled, scaly skin beneath the Draden's hand. The Xindi's metal shoulder protection was missing, and Archer doubted that was an accident either.

"Remember what we discussed, my friend," Archer heard Solead hiss at the Xindi. Just then, a thought hit the captain. He stepped to Mayweather's station and tapped a couple of buttons. "Archer to Phlox. See what you make of this, Doctor." Hitting another button, he sent the transmission through to sickbay. The Xindi chose that moment to speak.

"Captain Archer, it wasn't Solead's fault that…your officer fell ill…" the Xindi paused for a long moment, during which Archer looked him over. The captain noticed that the Xindi's skin was a particular unhealthy shade of its usual green. "If not for me," the Xindi went on, "your sale would have…gone normally. There is no…reason you should refuse Solead…his compensation."

Boiling anger rose within Archer and he fought to control his voice as he responded. "What about my Chief Engineer? Do you also apologize for using him for carving practice?"

The Xindi raised his eyes, which locked for a chilling moment with Archer's—a moment in which Jonathan Archer saw not one ounce of remorse, only hatred and a malice so deep and cold that it congealed his boiling anger, leaving him only with the desire to shiver—then the Xindi suddenly went limp and fell, unceremoniously, flat on his face.

"Solead! What the hell just happened?" Archer snapped, though he had a feeling he already knew.

"I don't know!"

"Is he alive?"

"Who cares? He tried to kill all of us. If anything I did us a favor, so keep the C-28 and forget the whole damned thing okay?!" Solead slammed his hand down on something and the screen went dark.

Captain, do we have a transporter lock on the Xindi? Phlox's voice came over the still-open comm link.

After a moment, Travis looked up at the captain. "I have a lock, sir. Shall I transport?"

Archer didn't respond. He was still glaring at the viewscreen, fists clenched at his sides.

Captain, the Xindi is obviously in some sort of trouble. If he is also reacting adversely to this Draden substance, it could be fatal.

"I don't see what it matters to us at the moment right now, Doctor."

I understand your feelings, Captain, but I need all the information I can get if I am to successfully treat Commander Tucker and Ensign Jace.

"Sir?" Mayweather asked expectantly after a moment.

"Do it, Travis. Doctor, when I get to sickbay, you'd better have security posted and a damn good explanation as to why you need the Xindi to treat Trip and Ensign Jace. Archer out." He smacked his hand against the panel, closing the channel, then once again headed for the turbolift.

Nothing remarkable seemed to be taking place when Archer stepped through the doors of sickbay, save for Malcolm and two other security officers standing guard around the table where the Xindi lay unconscious. "Captain," Phlox acknowledged, momentarily looking up from his scans.

"Doctor, are you sure it's safe to leave the Xindi unrestrained?" Archer asked, looking at the reptilian suspiciously.

"Mr. Reed has voiced those same concerns Captain, and I will tell you the same as I told him. The Xindi will not be waking up anytime soon. For one thing I have him sedated, and in his present condition it is very doubtful he could cause a problem anyway. If that eventuality occurs, I'm confident that the lieutenant and his men will be able to handle the situation."

Archer glanced at Malcolm who confirmed Phlox's statement with a nod. "So can you give me any specifics on the Xindi's condition, Doctor?" the captain asked.

"At this stage, his symptoms follow those of Commander Tucker and Ensign Jace, to some degree at least. Xindi physiology is quite different from that of a human, but I can say with reasonable certainty that he is having a similar reaction to this Draden secretion."

"Which brings me to ask, what does any of this have to do with Trip's condition? Even if the Xindi is having the same reaction, what good does it do you?"

"The specifics of that remain to be seen. I'm already seeing subtle differences in the ways the Xindi is processing the Draden substance. Hopefully as my studies progress, I will be able to use what I'm learning from the Xindi to help clear the substance from the Commander's body."

"So the effects haven't subsided yet?" Archer frowned.

"Until the commander is awake, I won't be certain, but my scans indicate that he's still being affected. I've noticed that his muscles continue to be very tense at times, which should be impossible considering the medication I've given him and his deep unconscious state."

"Could he be dreaming?"

"No. His brain-wave patterns show dreamless sleep, but his body indicates otherwise. As far as I can tell, he's not experiencing the intense muscle contractions that were taking place before. The relatively long periods of tension could eventually be just as serious though. Before you informed me of the Xindi, I gave Commander Tucker another muscle relaxant, but it hasn't had as much effect as I'd hoped. I'm sorry I can't give you something more concrete, Captain, but until Mr. Tucker can tell me how he's feeling, the best I can do is continue with my research and look for a way to purge the substance from his system."

Archer nodded, and Phlox continued, "I was able to obtain a sample of the secretion from Jirah. The full analysis will be complete within the hour, so I'll most likely be able to tell you more in the morning."

Knowing he would get no further useful information out of Phlox for the time being, Archer left the Denobulan's office so the doctor could continue with his work. The still-growing complexity of what had started as a simple trade was apparent to the captain as he passed by the unconscious Xindi, Reed's officers, and Ensign Jace's bed on his way to Trip's corner of the room.

As he pushed aside the curtain, Archer was relieved to see that Trip didn't look any worse than he had a couple of hours ago. Then again, he thought he could just detect the tension Phlox had been speaking of. "It's all right, buddy. You can relax now. We've caught the Xindi." Jonathan sighed, realizing his attempt at humor wasn't at all funny considering the circumstances surrounding the 'capture'.

Archer sat down heavily in the chair that had mysteriously appeared in his absence. He talked quietly to Trip for a while about how the Xindi had come to be aboard, omitting the part about Phlox possibly needing the Xindi to help him find an effective treatment. None of them knew enough to be spreading news of the pessimistic variety, especially to those who least needed to hear it.

Within five minutes though, Archer chose to end the conversation as his own voice just seemed to add a certain degree of reality to the whole situation that he didn't really want to deal with. He straightened Trip's blankets, then sat back in his chair and proceeded to drift into a trance-like state, somewhere on the border of wakefulness and sleep, leaning more toward the latter.

TBC…

A/N: Next chapter will include more with Trip, and hopefully more action. Thanks for the reviews. They're often helpful for sparking new ideas.


	11. Dare You To Move

C-28

Chapter 11

See Chapter 1 for disclaimer, etc.

A/N: I wish to apologize to everyone who has been reading this story for my excessive lapse in updating. Shortly after I posted the previous chapter, my dad underwent major surgery. I have not had much time since then to devote to writing, but as life has returned to some measure of normalcy I will make every effort to conclude this story. Another, longer chapter will be out by early next week, I just need to finish editing it. Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading.

* * *

A rustling sound drifted through the water that surrounded him, and he thought it strange…there was no sound in this place, just deep calm water. A small thud followed, corresponding with something soft hitting him in the head, then a short string of soft cursing. 

Archer's eyes snapped open and he blinked rapidly, looking around in confusion. He soon recognized his surroundings and rolled over onto his back. Suddenly, he knew what had woken him. "Trip?" Archer quickly sat up.

"Cap'n? Is that you?" Trip whispered, craning his neck in an attempt to see where the voice had come from. He attempted to prop himself up on his good arm as Archer appeared in his line of vision, but his entire body protested the action. His arm was trembling from the strain, and he'd only raised himself a few inches off the bed.

"Yes, it's me." Archer leaned down and picked up Trip's pillow from where it had fallen. "Just lie still, Trip." He returned the pillow to its place and put his hand on Trip's shoulder, guiding him back against it.

"Sorry I woke you, Jon. Guess I wasn't…expectin' anyone to be down there." Trip paused, fighting the urge to cough that was brought by the dryness in his throat.

Archer noticed his discomfort and crossed to a table to fetch Trip a glass of water. "Neither was I," he said, returning to Trip. "It must have been Phlox's doing because I distinctly remember falling asleep in that chair, and when I awoke, I was down there." The captain looked at the portable cot suspiciously, then placed the glass in Trip's hand.

"Thanks, Cap'n." Trip slowly raised his head enough to take a few sips, then handed the glass back to Archer, taking a better look at his surroundings in the meantime. "Speaking of the doc, do ya have any idea what he's workin' on out there?" Trip indicated an area outside the curtain with a nod of his head, and Archer stepped over to see what he was looking at.

Jon noticed that the curtain surrounding Trip's bed was now only partially obscuring his view of the place where the Xindi lay, Phlox working over him. Luckily, Trip wasn't able to see what or who was on the bed. "I would assume that he's just working more on the problem of that Draden enzyme. Knowing Phlox, he wanted to be nearby in case there was any change in your condition," Archer fibbed. Jon imagined that if Trip spotted the Xindi, he'd be wanting out of sickbay and/or wanting to kill the reptilian in the process.

"There's a problem with the enzyme? I mean, other than the obvious one of course?"

Due to sheer tiredness, the captain was about to ask Trip to clarify the 'obvious problem' when Phlox's all-too-perky voice reached his ears. "Commander, you're awake!" The Denobulan stepped around the curtain and nearer to the bed, tricorder in hand. "How are you feeling?" Phlox asked Trip, in a lower volume than before. Archer mused that the doctor must have noticed he and Trip wince in tandem at his first proclamation.

"Like I fought the business end of a phase pistol an' lost." Trip said, his tone so serious that Archer had to hide his grin.

Phlox also smiled. "Are you having any pain from your leg?"

"Not really. I'm just stiff all over…is that from the Draden enzyme? The cap'n mentioned somethin' about it before you came in," the engineer said at Phlox's slightly astonished look.

"Unfortunately yes, Commander. It turned out to have some…unforeseen effects."

"What kind of effects?"

"Mainly extended muscular tension, accompanied by greater fatigue from the extra energy that's being expended."

"How long do ya think it'll last?"

"I have a couple of leads in my research, but I can't give you a clear estimate at this point, Commander. Most likely, this change from extreme, sudden contractions to more steady tension spells indicates that your body is in the process of purging the substance. I'm currently attempting to develop a catalyst that will help that process along," Phlox replied.

"So what am I supposed to do until then?" Trip's voice sounded much more impatient than he actually felt.

"Try to relax and get some rest. Your body needs time to heal. This will help ease some of the tension," Phlox said, reaching for a hypospray.

Trip nodded and closed his eyes. He felt the cold hiss against his neck just before he drifted off.

* * *

The reptilian awoke to a room of strange sounds and odd, indirect lighting. He found he could not will any part of his body to move other than his eyes, which he used to take stock of his situation. He was not being held in place by any sort of visible restraints. Why then could he not move a single muscle in his aching body? Straining his ocular movement range to its capacity, the bounty hunter glimpsed an instrument on a nearby cart. His eyes narrowed slightly, and for an instant he was merely curious. His brief time studying human technology did not provide him with enough information to be certain of the object's purpose. Abruptly his curiosity ended, however, when his rationale told him that he must be a prisoner on the human vessel to be surrounded by their technology. 

Bolting upright with a sudden surge of anger and fear, the Xindi did not stop to wonder how or why he was suddenly able to move. He instead searched for a weapon, and not finding one in his immediate vicinity, crept quietly toward the first doorway that he saw. It slid open with a soft hiss at his presence, and he started slightly. The adrenaline coursing through him had left his nerves on edge.

The room spread before him appeared to be some sort of emergency facility, for it contained a wide array of medical instruments and scanners. Some of them bore a remarkably similarity to Xindi technology. Others were strange and their uses were not forthcoming. No matter, any sharp object or blunt object was as good as another, and he grabbed a scalpel, sliding it quickly into his sleeve. He also picked up an oblong piece of monitoring equipment and hooked it through his belt before continuing on.

TBC…soon…I really mean it… :)


	12. Trip, the Xindi, and the Denobulan Sedat...

C-28

Chapter 12

See Chapter 1 for disclaimer, etc.

* * *

Trip blinked rapidly. Something had startled him awake, but he couldn't figure out exactly what. He glanced around, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He didn't recall having had another nightmare, and it didn't feel like that was the reason for his sudden return to wakefulness anyway. Trip waited for a moment, willing his heart to stop racing and closed his eyes to go back to sleep when he heard an odd sound coming from beyond the curtain surrounding his bed. He opened his eyes again and the sound grew closer. It was a soft swishing, accompanied by footsteps that didn't sound like Phlox. Trip felt his pulse quicken again, and even though he told himself that the anxiety was irrational and could be accounted for by his condition, it didn't abate.

Both the swishing and the footsteps stalled then and Trip shook his head, thinking he had imagined the entire thing. Suddenly a shadow moved right outside the curtain, rustling the material. Trip's breath caught in his throat, and without realizing it, he scooted backwards a couple of inches and kicked the blankets to the side with his good leg. He looked around for something to defend himself with, but came up with nothing, so just pushed himself into a sitting position, and watched as a green, scaly hand pushed aside the curtain.

Doing his best not to let his fear show, Trip fixed his face into his best glare. "What the hell are you doin' here?" Keeping an eye on the Xindi, Trip quickly undid the tape on his arm that held the IV tube in place and slid the line out. He had little chance of getting the upper hand in a fight against the Xindi in his current condition, but certainly not if he was held in place by a bunch of wires.

"My job." The Xindi let the scalpel slide from his sleeve into his hand, and before Trip could say a word, the Xindi's arm was tight around his throat, and he could feel the edge of the scalpel biting into his skin. "Pity you didn't just bleed to death the first time."

"Why's…that?" Trip rasped around the reptilian's arm.

"Because now I have to go to the trouble of bringing you in alive."

"Oh…I don't know…"

"About what?"

"Any…of it." Trip gasped. He was beginning to see spots at the edges of his vision from the lack of oxygen and he knew he had to act fast. Careful not to move his neck due to the blade's close proximity, Trip grabbed his discarded blanket and in one smooth motion flung it backwards over both their heads.

The Xindi growled something angrily that Trip didn't recognize, but assumed from the tone it was a curse. No matter, his action had the desired effect. In an attempt to remove the blanket from himself, the Xindi dropped the scalpel. Squirming blindly, Trip managed to turn so he was roughly facing the Xindi and landed as hard a blow as he could manage to the reptilian's sternum.

"Nice try," the bounty hunter sneered, finally managing to untangle himself from the blanket.

To avoid the impending blow that was bound to follow, Trip launched himself at the bounty hunter before he had considered the consequences, and before the Xindi had a chance to react. Therefore, Trip was mildly surprised when he felt his knees buckle and he plunged limply into his attacker, knocking them both to the floor. Trip was dimly aware of the searing pain in his leg as he struggled against the Xindi for what seemed like eternity. Suddenly, he felt the reptilian's fist connect with the left side of his face and he lay there dazed, wondering why more blows didn't follow. He raised his head off the floor in time to see the Xindi moving off in the direction of the main lab. A frown came to Trip's face as he watched his attacker's retreating form. There was something rather…unnatural about the Xindi's strides, but they were purposeful. The bounty hunter was going after Phlox. It was the only conclusion that made any sense to the engineer so he made the decision to operate on that assumption.

Trip exerted a great effort to push himself up onto his hands and good knee, silently thanking the miracle of modern painkillers that were keeping him from feeling the pain that he should be experiencing and also the adrenaline that was keeping him moving at all. Summoning whatever strength that was still available to him, Trip half-crawled, half-dragged himself after the Xindi. He let out a quiet curse at how long it was taking. He didn't have the luxury of time in this situation, as the bounty hunter was obviously the shoot-first-ask-questions-later type. Passing the transparent doors that led to Phlox's office, Trip had an idea. He turned toward the doors which opened to grant him access to the office. Crawling over to the desk, Trip used it for extra leverage and pulled himself into the chair that was situated behind it.

Out of breath, the engineer wanted to take about an hour's break before continuing, but knew he couldn't. Using his good leg, he began to push the rolling chair away from the desk, when he noticed the hypospray laying there. Almost as an afterthought he picked it up and shoved a random ampule into it from the small selection within reach. Then he quickly pulled himself around the desk and out the door, where he swiveled the chair around and proceeded to move backward because it was faster.

Trip slowed as he neared the lab where he'd last seen the Xindi. He turned in the chair so he was again facing forward and pulled himself along into the room. He paused for a half-second, taking stock of the situation. Phlox was alternatively looking into a microscope and making notes at one of the benches, apparently completely oblivious to the Xindi who was standing rather stiffly off to the left of him, scalpel-wielding hand outstretched, just out of the Denobulan's line of sight. As far as Trip could tell, neither had noticed his presence. Not waiting around for such an event to occur, Trip pulled his way across the room, glad that whoever had designed Phlox's desk chair had used ultra-quiet wheel bearings and rubber-composite wheels that made virtually no sound as they traversed the deck plating.

Stopping about two feet behind and to the right of the Xindi, Trip again contemplated how he should proceed. As the seconds ticked by, his wondering ceased. Whatever doubts and/or daydreams the Xindi had been suffering from that stayed his attack on the doctor had passed, and when Trip saw the reptilian move his arm outward in a sweeping motion, instinct took over and he pushed himself up from the chair, lunging upward with everything he had to get his arms over the tall Xindi's shoulders.

The next moments were somewhat hazy for Trip, as he threw his arms around the Xindi's neck, then felt a hot surge of pain as his injured leg tried unsuccessfully to support him. Gravity took over soon after and he found himself limply hanging from the Xindi's back as they both crumpled to the floor, despite the bounty hunter's struggle to quite literally shake off his attacker. Whether it was instinct or presence of mind Trip could not be certain, but when he felt the weight of the Xindi crash down on top of him, he tightened his arm around the reptilian's neck, and managed to press the hypospray in his other hand against the man's skin before the Xindi writhed free of his grasp and began to turn over, most likely with intentions to do bad things to whoever he found beneath him.

It occurred to Trip then that not every drug was for the purpose of quickly putting the recipient into a deep sleep. He fervently hoped he had not just injected the Xindi with a dose of cold medicine. The Xindi made it to a sitting position, and Trip looked on blearily, intending to roll out of the way immediately if not sooner should the Xindi get any closer. Just then an odd look passed over the reptilian's features and he fell flat on his face with a thud, his arm impacting with Trip's ribs on the way down.

As he wriggled out from beneath the unconscious Xindi, rubbing at his side a bit, Trip's eyes grew wide with the irrational suspicion that perhaps all of Phlox's medications were sedatives. He would have to speak to the captain about that whenever…

"Commander!" Phlox's voice startled Trip from his thoughts.

"'s about time you noticed there was a brawl goin' on right behind ya, Doc," Trip said, smiling faintly.

"What in the world are you doing?" Phlox asked, then fully took in the scene before him, that included one unconscious Xindi, still clutching a scalpel loosely in his hand. "Never mind. Are you all right?"

"Ah think so, all things considered." Trip began to push himself up off the floor.

"Stay still, Mr. Tucker," Phlox warned, bending down to take a look at Trip's leg.

Trip complied, but continued speaking. "You're lucky you've got so many sedatives around here, Doc. I don't think I coulda taken him down by myself."

"You shouldn't have had to take him down at all. I can't imagine how he was up and about in the first place, and I was hoping you'd never even have to know he was here. I apologize for this, Commander. Your condition has endangered you enough already. I should have followed Mr. Reed's advice and placed a guard even though he was unconscious." Phlox looked at Trip with dismay.

"Don't worry about it Doc. You said yourself there was no way ya could've known he'd get up. I don't even think the Xindi knew what he was doin' for sure. His moved kinda like a zombie, more instinctual than anything really. And it was almost as if he had lapses where he couldn't move at all."

"Well, we'll worry about the specifics later. He should be unconscious for at least another hour or so with what you injected him with." Phlox and Trip just looked at each other for a moment, then Phlox stood and went to the comm. "Phlox to security."

Go ahead, Doctor.

"I've reconsidered the security measures for our guest. Please send up a team as soon as possible."

Right away, Doctor. Reed out.

"Are ya sure he's unconscious or is he just playin' dead?" Trip asked, still eyeing the Xindi warily.

"Your guess is as good as mine on the certainty of that, Mr. Tucker. His brain activity shows that he's in a deep sleep, but I'm not taking any more chances." When Phlox didn't receive any acknowledgement, he looked at Trip closely. "Commander?"

"Sorry, Doc. Guess I'm still a little dazed from wrestlin' with that Xindi. He did pop me one pretty good," Trip said, touching his bruised cheekbone gingerly.

"Considering your condition, I would be surprised if you weren't feeling the effects of this encounter. Let's get you back to bed, hmm?"

Trip nodded. "Once ah get back in your chair there, it'll be smooth sailin'. I'm gonna send a letter of commendation t' whoever designed it."

Phlox chuckled, helping Trip maneuver his way back into the desk chair. The journey back to the other room went much more smoothly with the Denobulan steering, and Trip was grateful for the reduced jarring of his leg, which seemed to be growing more painful with each passing moment. He supposed he'd moved it in a way that was inadvisable for its current state of disrepair and he was now suffering the consequences. Phlox must have noticed his discomfort because Trip felt the all too familiar feeling of a hypospray against his neck.

"Commander, do you think you can stand up without putting your weight on that leg?"

"Uh, yeah I think so," Trip replied, once again trying without much success to shake the clouds from his mind.

"All right, just take it slow."

The engineer did as instructed, and made it to a mostly upright position, though he relied heavily on Phlox's support. The doctor was explaining how he should accomplish the task of moving the short distance that remained between him and the bed, but Trip found himself unable to pay much attention. He marveled for a few moments at the feeling of his head floating several feet above his body before succumbing to the gray haze that seemed intent on engulfing him.

TBC…


	13. Variations are the Theme

C-28

Chapter 13

See Chapter 1 for disclaimer, etc.

A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed, I appreciate your feedback! Also, I apologize for any scientific inaccuracies that may be present in this chapter. My area of study is computers, not medicine.:)

* * *

A couple of hours passed, and the doors to sickbay slid open again, revealing Jonathan Archer, who made a beeline for Phlox's office. Not finding the Denobulan, he continued through to the lab. "Doctor, I just heard what happened. Is Trip all right? Malcolm said-" The captain stopped speaking when Phlox held up a hand, his back still facing Archer. 

Archer stood quietly for a few moments, but his impatience got the better of him. "Phlox! What are you looking at in that microscope that's so damned important!"

"Please give me a moment, Captain. I believe I have discovered the key to treating Mr. Tucker's reaction to the enzyme," Phlox answered calmly, not turning around.

The look of annoyance on Jon's face turned to one of hope, and he waited anxiously while Phlox finished studying the sample he had under the microscope and took down some notes on a padd. At long last, the doctor stood up and turned to Archer, a smile on his face.

"Well?" Archer asked.

"To answer your first question, Commander Tucker is all right. He tore a few of the stitches in his leg, which I have already taken care of, and I'm sure he has an extra bruise or two, but for the moment he is resting comfortably. The Xindi is currently restrained and under guard."

"As he should have been in the first place," Archer said, angry at himself for not taking more careful security measures.

"I assure you captain, I had no idea that the Xindi was capable of moving in his condition. What I recently discovered about his physiology explains how that was possible though, and also gave me direction to work toward a treatment for Mr. Tucker. It's quite remarkable really. I've never seen such a mechanism evolve in any other species."

"I'm sure it's fascinating, Doctor. Please enlighten me."

"Of course." Phlox tapped a few buttons and the lab's main screen came to life. "You're looking at the Xindi's muscular system. The muscles highlighted in orange are easy to identify, as they are virtually the same as those of a human." Phlox touched another button, causing an outer casing to appear in yellow around each of the muscles. "The areas in yellow are what are of interest. At first glance, they look as if they're a part of the muscles they're attached to. Upon closer inspection, though, they're an entirely different group. This is why I didn't notice them in my initial exam. I wasn't expecting anything so sophisticated."

"I'm still not quite understanding the significance," Archer shook his head.

"This is how he was able to attack Commander Tucker. These secondary muscles are only semi-voluntary. They evolved, as far as I can tell, for survival purposes. This is why the Xindi cannot consciously control them. Only the high level of adrenaline from the survival instinct kicking in seems to activate them and only then if the primary muscular system is nonfunctional."

"As is the case with our guest."

"Correct. Since these muscles effectively encase his primary ones, he was able to move, albeit somewhat awkwardly, as the Commander observed." Phlox was about to continue when a shout came from the other room.

"NOOOOOOO!"

"Trip!" Jon exclaimed, greatly alarmed. He was instantly in motion, his first thought being that the Xindi had somehow escaped. Phlox was right behind him. The Captain reached Trip first, and relief washed over him as he saw that the engineer was in no danger. "Trip? Come on, wake up." Archer said, gently shaking his friend's shoulder.

"Get the hell AWAY from me!" Trip shrank away from the captain's grip.

"It's okay, Trip. You're dreaming, just open your eyes."

"NO! Let 'em go! I swear I'll use this!"

"Trip!" Jon firmed his grip to try to stop the engineer from thrashing about.

"Ya had your chance!"

Before Archer knew what was happening, Trip had freed his good arm and his fist connected with Archer's face. Despite the force of the blow, Jon regained his hold on Trip. "Commander! Wake up immediately, that's an order!" the captain instructed rather loudly.

Trip's eyes snapped open and he looked around wildly. "Where is he?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Who?" Jon asked.

"The Xindi!"

"Sedated, restrained, and under guard in another room. You're perfectly safe, as is everyone else," Phlox assured him.

The fear and anger left Trip's eyes then and he slumped back in relief ashis breathing slowed to normal. Suddenly his eyes opened again and grew very wide. "Cap'n, did I…"

"Yes you did," Archer said, grinning at the engineer's look of horror. "Don't worry about it, Trip. I know you didn't mean to, and it's not as if my face is bruise-free at the moment anyway."

"Aren't we a pair?" Trip laughed.

Jon also laughed, then winced as the action brought more pain to his already-throbbing face.

"Yes you are," Phlox answered Trip's rhetorical question as he passed Archer another ice pack. "I can't even explain a simple medical finding without someone getting hurt." The Denobulan sounded exasperated, but his face betrayed the humor he found in the situation.

"In that case you'd better finish explaining quickly, Doctor. Trip might knock one of us out next time."

Trip gave Jon a mock glare, before looking to Phlox. "What'd you find, Doc?"

"The reason the Xindi was able to attack you and a potential treatment for the Draden enzyme."

"Really?"

"I'll need to run some more specified tests to develop an exact treatment of course, but it seems that our guest possesses a secondary muscular structure able to operate completely independently of the muscles they surround. Since this type of movement is more instinctual in nature, it explains why he didn't appear to be completely in control of his body. What I haven't yet had the chance to explain is how this helps in the direction of a treatment.

"For these secondary muscles to function the way that they did," Phlox continued, "I began to suspect that his body must also have had a separate means of controlling them. What I found was a variant of the neurotransmitter responsible for muscle control in the Xindi. Because the variant uses a slightly different receptor, it was still able to function despite the enzyme being at work.

"Now, if the Draden enzyme was responsible for blocking the receptors of the neurotransmitters, these findings would be of no real use, but this is not the case. The enzyme actually causes a partial breakdown in the composition of a certain neurotransmitter in the Xindi, and has a similar affect on the human counterpart. Therefore, the neurotransmitter matches the receptor enough to act normally part of the time, but in other cases it malfunctions and the wrong signal is sent, causing the unpredictable spasms you experienced, Commander."

"Well, if I remember my biology classes, Doc, humans don't have a second set of muscles and neurotransmitters, so how does all this help?" Trip asked.

"I believe I can use the Xindi neurotransmitter as a model to synthesize one that will complement the one naturally occurring in the human body. It's a matter of reshaping the molecules so they will again match the receptors."

"Sounds like a plan."

"How long do you think it will take to synthesize?" Archer asked.

"With no complications, I should be able to have it by later this evening." Phlox smiled.

"Keep me informed, Doctor. I need to go check in with T'Pol…oh, and Trip, if I hear about you beating up any more crewmembers, I'll throw you in the brig," Jon said as sternly as he could manage while keeping a straight face, then turned toward the door. He was about to set the ice pack down on a nearby counter, but took it with him at Phlox's warning look, not wanting to deal with another of the physician's lectures.

* * *

TBC… 


	14. The Sword in the Sickbay

C-28

Chapter 14

See Chapter 1 for disclaimer, etc.

A/N: I am nearing the conlcusion. Only a chapter or two to go, so I hope to finish before my spring break is over.

* * *

Trip opened his eyes and nearly had a coronary when his vision was met by a pair of eyes almost purple in color, inches away from his face. As he overcame his shock and the owner of the burnt-violet orbs took a step back, Trip managed to find his voice. "Y'know, ya really need to find more tactful ways of wakin' people, Jirah." 

"And you need to be less jumpy, but I apologize. After your ordeal, I would be less than calm myself. I'm surprised you allow them to keep that lizard anywhere near you."

Trip shrugged and then looked up at the young Draden. "He won't get past Malcolm, and the doc won't let me out of his sight for a while yet, so I don't really have a lot of choice in the matter."

"Well, if that _tak'rghal_ outlives his usefulness to you and your captain, I would like to have a private conference with him." Jirah said, glancing through narrowed eyes toward where the Xindi was being kept under watch.

"I'll be sure to mention that to the cap'n," Trip said, not bothering to ask what a '_tak'rghal_' was.

Jirah nodded. "Archer said I could come and visit you, but the notes which I have brought you concerning our progress with the C-28 I have brought you without his knowledge." Jirah offered a padd to Trip and then helped him raise the bed to a sitting position.

"You're a quick study of smuggling," Trip commented with a smile, then was silent for a few moments as he read over the details. "Great work. Have my teams been checking the already-completed sections of the hull plating at regular intervals for continued molecular stability?"

"As your lieutenant instructed," Jirah nodded.

"Good." Trip worked a couple of controls on the padd, then looked across to the screen on the opposite wall, now displaying several scans, some already completed and some in progress. "Thanks. I'm going to hang onto this for a while."

"You're welcome. I thought you would enjoy knowing how your people have been progressing, despite your injuries and Uncle's attempts to thwart everything. There is one other thing I would like for you to have."

"What's that?" Trip set down the padd on his lap and looked at the Draden, whose voice had changed to a somewhat nervous tone.

From a very well concealed sheath, Jirah produced a sword, the very same one that he had pressed to Trip's throat many hours before, and held it out to the engineer with both hands, bowing slightly. "Take it. It is yours."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"You were placed at its mercy, and when I did not kill you with it and you did not kill me, I took you as a companion. It is our tradition. Now, as you have shown that your competence and fortitude in battle is greater than mine, I give you my sword as your trophy. As is also our tradition, you may scar me with it as you choose."

"Why would I do that?" Trip asked with a frown on his face.

"I have not been a useful and worthy companion. I allowed you to fight alone and almost be killed."

Trip waved off the comment. "I didn't even know of your traditions until now, so forget it. I'm sure not going to slash ya up with this thing. One of us havin' ta feel that is enough."

A look of discomfort crossed his face, but then Jirah nodded once in acknowledgement, not making eye contact as he placed the sword in Trip's hands. "As you wish."

"Jirah."

Trip waited until the young man looked back at him. "Ya may not have been able to help me out with the Xindi, but ya helped my friends get out of there. I wouldn't have survived otherwise, so I'd be just a little ungrateful if ah went an' stabbed ya now, wouldn't I?" Trip smiled.

Jirah looked ready to object, but then thought better of it. "If your captain or doctor asks where you got that information, I take no responsibility," he said in the same flippant tone he'd used at their first meeting. The Draden turned and walked out the door then, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.

Trip watched the doors slide shut with a grin before allowing himself to become absorbed in the more intricate details of the progress with the C-28. He placed several scans side-by-side on the screen and cross-checked them with the currently running scans. Catching up quickly with what was going on, Trip linked up to the main computer system and added a few slight modifications to the equations that were running. Noting only one significant discrepancy between the last set of simulations and the current real-time data, Trip progressed through a series of calculations to remedy the problem. He had just sent the last of his notes to the lab when all of his scans froze on the screen.

His eyebrows drew together in confusion, and his gaze shifted back to the padd where he punched a quick succession of buttons, trying to figure out what had happened. The sound of someone clearing their throat made Trip look up. "Oh, hey Doc. Have you been having problems with your screen? It seems to be…" his voice trailed off and he turned his displeased look on Phlox. The 'malfunction' was now quite obvious.

"Feeling better, Commander?" Phlox smiled pleasantly.

"Well I was, but you're makin' it kinda difficult to finish what I was workin' on."

"Your body is nowhere close to being healed, Mr. Tucker. You should be resting, not working."

"Y'know, Doc, there's a limit as to how many times a guy can count the ceiling tiles, mentally compute warp factor equations, not to mention sleep, before losin' his marbles. Besides, I was just reviewin' some scans."

"While preparing for battle?" Phlox raised his eyebrows at seeing the sword that was carefully balanced across Trip's lap.

"Yeah, I thought I'd better keep it around, just in case the Xindi woke up again," the engineer quipped somewhat absently, still studying the padd in front of him.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Captain Archer assures me he will be moved to the brig in the morning."

Trip nodded. "Whatcha got in the vial?" he asked, glancing at the bluish substance Phlox held.

"I've finished synthesizing the neurotransmitter. I estimate you'll need an injection every 12 hours for the next three or four days to completely rid your body of the enzyme, perhaps less depending on just how effectively you respond. You should begin to see improvement within the first 24 hours."

"That's good. I should have my energy back when my muscles relax again, right?"

"In theory, yes, Commander, but it may take a few days. Muscle weakness is an expected side effect of this type of treatment."

"You said I'd see improvement in a day though."

"In your comfort level, yes, most definitely. Any aches you're experiencing that aren't due to your other injuries should subside. Don't expect to feel instantly perfect though. You may even feel slightly more fatigued than you currently do, but I don't foresee any pronounced symptoms as long as you take it easy."

"Well, I should just about be able ta stay awake for a year straight after all the sleep I've been gettin' around here," Trip grumbled, but the look in his eyes belied the hope he felt at finally getting rid of some of the pain that had been with him for the last few days, so he let Phlox inject him without further protest.

"And if you stop working and get a little bit more, I might be willing to release you to your quarters in a couple of days' time. Also, any ill effects you may feel from the neurotransmitter will likely be lessened."

"Make that a day and a half and you've got yourself a deal."

"I'll consider it, Commander, but we'll have to see how your leg is doing and how you're responding to treatment by that time."

"All right. Would ya mind holdin' Excalibur for the evenin'?" Trip asked, offering the sword to the Denobulan.

"Of course, Commander, and I will make sure it's well out of reach of the Xindi."

"Thanks, Doc." Trip yawned then in spite of himself.

"Good night, Commander."

* * *

TBC… 


	15. Epilogue

C-28

Chapter 15

See Chapter 1 for disclaimer, etc.

A/N: At long last this story has reached its conclusion. I don't know why it took me so long on this last chapter. I guess I have a hard time finishing things. ;)

Anyway, special thanks to: Emiliana Keladry, Laura B, plumtuckered, Rinne, Ocean, Maraschino, highonscifi, and Aurora for continuing to write reviews despite the gaps in my creativity.

And thanks to everyone else who has reviewed and read my story. I hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. :)

* * *

Several days had passed since Phlox had completed the cure for the Draden enzyme. Ensign Jace was already back on duty, fully recovered, as his exposure was less serious than Trip's. The engineer had been kept under observation for a day longer than Phlox's original prediction due to a severe bout of nausea that, in Trip's words, had reacquainted him with his breakfast from a fortnight ago. Luckily, the other side effects of the treatment had been mild. 

Now, two days after being released to his quarters and left to himself aside from Phlox's frequent check-ups and the occasional visit from Jon, Trip was feeling nearly human again. If any symptoms still remained of the enzyme's presence, they were easily ignored. Most of his strength had returned as well, though it would be over a week before he was allowed to return to duty, as his leg was still not healed to the doctor's satisfaction. To tell the truth, Trip was becoming a little restless, so he was grateful when the comm sounded, providing at least a temporary distraction.

"Archer to Commander Tucker."

Trip reached over and pressed the button on the comm panel. "Go ahead, Cap'n."

"Join us in the cargo bay in half an hour if you're feeling up to it, Trip. Malcolm's going to demonstrate the effectiveness of the C-28 and trellium-D as compared to our hull plating alone." There was amusement in Jon's voice.

"An opportunity to tease Malcolm about blowin' up stuff? I wouldn't miss it," Trip said, grinning.

"I thought you might say that. See you there. Archer out."

* * *

Trip hobbled into the shuttlebay, moving a bit awkwardly with the crutches, but glad that his shoulder had healed enough to allow him to get rid of the wheelchair he'd had to use when first leaving sickbay. From Jon's description, he'd expected to find T'Pol, and perhaps Hoshi and Travis at Malcolm's presentation, not the large gathering that met his eyes instead. Of course T'Pol and the communications and helm officers were present, but so were Ensigns Jace and Avery, Jirah, Phlox, and a good part of his engineering staff. He even recognized a few of Malcolm's security officers, and various other crewmen. 

As he moved closer, he saw the staging area for the presentation. Two fairly large sections of spare hull material were positioned about 30 feet away, connected to a menagerie of sensors, to collect data on the first real 'test' of the C-28/trellium-D combination Trip assumed. Jon saw him then and motioned him over to where he, T'Pol, and Jirah were engaged in a conversation that had the two men chuckling intermittently and T'Pol with an amused gleam in her eyes.

"What's so funny?" Trip asked.

"Jirah just expressed his desire for a private meeting with the Xindi," said T'Pol.

"He said the same to me a few days ago," the engineer replied.

"Yes, but I never happened to tell you what the discussion topic was to be."

"From the way you were talkin', I sort of assumed that this private meetin' would have been a private boxing match, with you havin' a decided advantage."

"What kind of a person do you take me for, Commander?" Jirah feigned a hurt look. "Violence is not my preferred method of asserting my will. I wished to offer the man a business proposition. I thought since he and Uncle were so fond of working together, that Uncle could go around the sector making bad business deals and the Xindi could follow him, trying to collect a bounty on Uncle's head."

"Ya don't like your uncle much do ya? And don't ya think that business arrangement would be rather short-lived?"

"Nah, Uncle may be lukewarm in the customer satisfaction department, but he's an expert at hiding under rocks."

Trip joined in the laughter, and talked for a while longer with Archer and Jirah, before finding a chair and slowly lowering himself into it when Malcolm announced that it was time to begin.

The presentation got underway, and Trip watched with curiosity. While the two pieces of hull initially looked no different, after taking sustained phaser blasts, there was a large difference to be seen between the C-28 hull plating and the hull nearly classifiable as charred rubble. It appeared the C-28 was doing its job. Several crewmembers who hadn't been immediately involved in the technical aspects of developing the C-28 for use on the hull had questions, which Malcolm answered with T'Pol's help. Trip had some questions too, but he intended to read the entire span of reports on the subject, not to mention do a little hands-on experimentation of his own to answer them.

After a while it seemed that the questions from the crew had taken a turn toward phase cannons rather than C-28, and Trip was wondering whether Malcolm had purposely redirected the subject when he felt Jirah nudge him. He turned to his right to see a mischievous look on the Draden's face.

"You're a talented engineer, Mr. Tucker. Do you suppose it would be possible to shield an EVA suit with C-28 and trellium-D? That way, the business arrangement between Uncle and the Xindi might stand up against the Xindi's bad temper."

"At least until the Xindi gains possession of a sharp object instead of an energy weapon, I guess," Trip replied, a grin spreading across his face.

"Or until he doesn't protect his assets and his suit gets stolen just like his C-28," Archer added, and the three burst out laughing. After all, what fun was it to win if you couldn't make fun of the other guy a bit?

* * *

The End 


End file.
